Speaking in Code
by mamabean
Summary: Edward Cullen's trash is his neighbors' torture, and now his house is in violation of Chapter 36 of the Seattle Municipal Code.  When Inspector Swan shows up to issue a citation, sparks will fly!  ExB, AH
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to my first multi-chapter story! Thanks so much for checking it out.**

**I am so fortunate to have some amazing pre-readers: BookishQua, Jillian Landers, and FantasyMother all helped make this story better, and gave me tremendous support and encouragement. Thank you so much, ladies! They're all amazing authors themselves, so if you haven't read their work – go, do it now!**

**Also, I owe a big thank-you to nonymouse123 who lent me her plot bunny way back when… and then let me twist it all around :)**

**This story is completely written (I promise, you can ask my pre-readers) and I will post weekly on Wednesdays. **

**Oh, and quite obviously, SM owns all.  
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><p><em>Bella<em>

"And this wiring is a clearly a problem… can you tell me what particular paragraph of Section 206 this violates?" Mike tried to look innocent as he posed his question, but his arrogant smirk shone through anyway.

Ass.

I cleared my throat and made myself reply confidently in spite of his attitude. "Well, the wiring is obviously too close to the water intake source valves, which violates Section 206, paragraph 7 of the Seattle Municipal Code."

Mike looked surprised that I had answered correctly, but quickly recovered. He rubbed his chin in contemplation as he responded, "Very close, Bella, but it's actually Section 206, Paragraph 7, _Subparagraph_ C. It's very important to get these citations as complete and accurate as possible. Maybe you need to read through the codebook one more time." He shook his head as he made notes on his clipboard and walked away, his shoulders quivering with silent laughter.

Like I said…

I followed Mike into the next room of the half-finished building while mentally contemplating his slow and painful castration with the ridiculously large multi-tool he kept clipped to his belt. Over the past few weeks, I'd discovered that imagining torturing my chauvinist new co-workers was the best way to deal with my seemingly constant frustration as the newest building inspector for the City of Seattle.

My supervisor was great, but the other inspectors had made it clear that if the hiring decision had been up to them, they would have hung up a "No Girls Allowed" sign faster than eight year olds in a treehouse. There were four of them – Mike, Tyler, Eric, and Ben – forming a club that I would never enter. Unfortunately for me, they were the ones charged with my training. I had to shadow each of them on their inspections to learn the ropes, and each of them had special ways of making it hard on me.

I suspected they'd bet on who could get me to quit first.

Mike loved to spot-check me on specific sections of the code, even though rumor had it that he'd carried the entire 4-inch-thick book for reference for his first two years on the job. Now that he finally had it mastered, he delighted in quizzing me on all the obscure paragraphs and provisions he could bring to mind. Apparently because I got the privilege of writing up our reports to the day for him to approve, I needed to have as much 'attention to detail' as he did. What that really meant was that I did all his work, and he glanced at it briefly before signing off.

Tyler, with his greasy pock-marked skin, had a neverending slew of inappropriate nicknames at his disposal. I immediately objected to "sweetheart," so he switched to "honey" and "doll" and so on. When I asked him to stop, he would apologize insincerely, but he always came back with more. He currently referred to me as "little lady," to which I refused to answer.

On top of that, Tyler also had a bad habit of belittling my opinions during our exit interviews with the contractors. On our second day out, I spotted a wiring issue that looked fine at the moment, but could have caused a serious fire after a few months of use. When I directed the contractor to fix it, Tyler brushed off my finding and cracked a joke about me breaking a nail. Thankfully, the electrician overheard me and quickly corrected the problem anyway.

Eric was the only single guy in the group, and so his form of hazing was constantly asking me out. I had taken to finding creative ways to refuse him in an attempt to keep things light, but somehow he didn't believe that I was really a nun or that I had made a vow of celibacy to the ghost of my dead grandmother. Despite my excuses, he managed to keep hope alive and swore eventually I'd see that we were meant to be.

Yeah… not fucking likely. There weren't exactly men lined up outside my door, but I absolutely refused to date co-workers as it was too messy and complicated. Besides, chauvinism just wasn't in my list of qualities for Mr. Right.

Ben wasn't so bad, but he was clearly a proponent of the antiquated view that construction sites were no place for a woman. The first day I shadowed him, I asked if we were going to any sites that had footwear restrictions since I generally wore heels to the office but changed to boots at construction sites. He assured me we didn't have any rough sites on our agenda, but when we pulled up to the second stop of the day I was dismayed by the sight of mud everywhere.

"I thought we weren't heading to any rough sites?" I muttered.

"Oh... sorry. I guess I forgot," he replied. Ben seemed to enjoy my discomfort as I picked my way through the giant piles of dirt, and I saw him hide a chuckle more than once as I tripped over piles of masonry and rebar. At least he was kind enough to catch my arm before I fell flat on my face. I made sure to keep a spare pair of flats in my bag after that day.

Through it all, I remained determined to do a good job and prove to them that they didn't have to like me, but they'd have to respect me. I had already read through and memorized the most pertinent sections of code, and I kept my highlighted and flagged copy of the book in my car for the more obscure violations. Being trained as an architect, I knew quite a bit about how construction was supposed to work, and I had a keen eye for detail. Damn it, they had to come around eventually...

Once we returned to the office, Mike dumped the day's paperwork on my desk so I could document our citations for the day and send out the proper notices. This had become his usual routine, and it meant that I would be sticking around the office for a few more hours. He left an hour early, of course, no doubt congratulating himself on what a great job he was doing training me in.

When I objected to this arrangement, he had the nerve to claim that he was doing me a favor because I needed the practice. Practice my ass, what I needed after a day of his bullshit was a glass of wine and a good lay, but I wouldn't exactly share that information with Mike.

Deciding to pick my battles, I waved goodnight - using only one finger- at Mike's back as he walked away, and started in on the paperwork. I was getting pretty good at using the computer system that the city used to generate code letters, and I had just finished the letter for the Section 206, Paragraph 7, _Subparagraph_ C wiring issue when Jacob Black strolled by.

"Hey Bella, what's up? What are you still doing here?" He smiled as he paused by my desk.

Jacob was my boss and the nicest guy here. His six-foot six inch height and large build were often intimidating, so it was fortunate he had such an easy-going personality. He was also handsome enough that I might have considered breaking my no-dating-coworkers rule, if he hadn't been my supervisor and already happily married.

"I'm just finishing up my letters for the day. How are you?" I smiled back.

Jacob stretched and yawned. "Another day done, I guess. I'm actually glad I caught you – I've been meaning to check in. How do you feel things are going?"

"Great, I'm getting pretty comfortable now," I replied eagerly. I didn't dare hope... but could he be hinting what I thought he might?

"That's good to hear. I've been reviewing your inspection reports, and I think you might be ready to go out on your own soon. What do you think?"

I wanted to break into a crazy victory dance, but managed to keep my cool. "Yeah, it seems like that's the next step. I'm definitely ready."

My smile must have been just a little too big, because Jacob sighed. "Are the guys still being rough on you?"

I just shrugged, not wanting to deter Jacob from a train of thought that would lead to my freedom from the senior inspectors.

"I'm sorry about them," he looked frustrated. "They're really immature sometimes. When I got promoted ahead of them, they were pretty upset. I can't tell you how many times Mike replaced the sugar by the coffee pot with salt right before I went for my morning cup - I learned pretty quickly to bring my own sugar packets and keep them in my desk." Jacob shook his head and smiled. "One day, I made sure he knew I was about to head in to get a cup of coffee, but actually I had scheduled a meeting with three city council members. I asked Mike to get them coffee, and you should have seen the look on his face when one of them asked for sugar!" Jacob laughed at the memory, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little too.

"Seriously though, Bella, you know that you need to tell me if they go too far, right? I don't want an inspector getting harassed on the job." Jacob looked at me sternly.

"I know, and thanks," I said, hoping he would get back to the part where I got to do my own inspections.

"Well, tomorrow we'll have you go on a few inspections yourself. I'll start you off easy with some single family home code violations and smaller buildings, but I know with your background you'll advance to the more complicated stuff with no trouble." He smiled once more and glanced at the clock. "I've got to get home, Ness is making dinner tonight. Don't stick around too much longer, OK? Have a good night, Bella." He gave me a heartwarming smile and turned to walk out of the office.

"Yeah, you too." I waved with all my fingers this time, and once I was alone, I couldn't help but let an ecstatic grin cross my face. Finally, I would be free to do my own inspections! I still had to work in the office with the guys and their third grade commentary, but at least I wouldn't have to deal with it all day long.

As I drove home, hope and excitement bubbled up inside me for the day to come. The past few months had been such a rollercoaster, but maybe things were finally looking up for good.

Half a year ago, I was a fresh college graduate with a degree in architecture. I dutifully got my portfolio ready and sent out a stack of resumes to every firm I'd ever heard of, but with the economy crashing and the construction industry at a standstill, no one was hiring architects. Most firms I contacted were laying off the workers they already had, and couldn't even think of adding more.

I grew more and more despondent, fearing that my part-time job waiting tables would end up being permanent, until I got a call from Jacob Black. Jacob's father Billy was my dad's fishing buddy back in Forks, and while I hadn't known them well, my father had told Billy about my job problems. Jacob was in charge of the Inspections department for the City of Seattle, and he also happened to have an opening due to the retirement of 30 year veteran inspector Greg Banner. I interviewed with Jacob the next day, and he hired me on the spot.

Initially, I tried to be understanding of the bitterness I felt from my male co-workers. I was sure it was due to the way I had gotten the job, and also because of who I replaced. Greg Banner had been a mentor to all of them when they started as city inspectors, and utilizing my minor in psychology I theorized that maybe their hostility was just misplaced grief from losing their mentor. As the weeks wore on, I found out that they just weren't that deep.

Shaking off the memories, I got back to being excited for my newly independent status. I pulled in the garage and bounded up the stairs to the apartment I shared with my best friend Alice.

"Alice, are you home? I've got great news!"

My roommate emerged from her studio, which was supposed to be our dining room but was now put to much more interesting use. She was wearing her favorite paint-splattered jeans and a jaggedly ripped one-shouldered shirt that she must have made herself. I loved Alice dearly, but she was something of a fashion disaster. Although she paid the bills by working for an art gallery, her true love was her unique and sometimes unwearable fashion design projects. We had an arrangement of sorts – she let me dress her in professional clothes for work, and I let her dress me when we went out.

"What's up, B? Oh wait, I'll use my psychic visioning skills…" she closed her eyes and put her fingers to her temples in concentration, smearing some Prussian blue on her skin in the process. "You finally got the balls to tell off that group of asshole man-children, and now they've made you their queen?" Alice's eyes widened as she smiled widely, nodding her approval.

I shoved her playfully and flopped onto our couch. "Sorry, babe, you're no Miss Cleo. But I'm finished with my training, and I get to go out on my own tomorrow!"

"Oh B, that's so great! How do you want to celebrate? Margaritas?" she asked hopefully, as she headed for the kitchen to retrieve our well worn blender and generous stash of tequila.

"Sure, let's make some nachos too. I'm just so relieved that tomorrow I won't have to deal with any stupid, immature men on my inspections!"

Alice finished making our drinks and poured two glasses while I got out the nacho fixings. "Sweetie, I'm so proud of you. To no more assholes!" she toasted.

"No more assholes!" I echoed enthusiastically.

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><p>The next morning I had a mild headache from getting a little too cozy with Jose Cuervo, but I was still looking forward to the day ahead. I got up early and dressed in a gray pencil skirt and white blouse, and slipped into my practical yet stylish low-heeled shoes. Alice emerged from her room tinged slightly green, but we managed to eat some breakfast and down some aspirin to get our day started. I hummed to myself as I drove to the office, and as my headache dissipated it seemed like nothing could ruin my mood.<p>

Arriving at our floor of city hall, I straightened my desk a bit before gathering my clipboard and notepad to head for our morning briefing. Jacob started off by announcing that I would be working on my own today, and I noticed the guys looking a little peeved. Poor Mike, he would have to do his own paperwork now… no more skipping out early. I suppressed a grin, trying not to gloat in front of everyone. After announcing some upcoming inspections on major construction projects, Jacob handed out our assignments for the day and told us to get going.

"Hey Bella," Jacob called as I walked out the door.

"Yeah, boss?"

"Good luck today, not that you'll need it." He smiled warmly as he nodded at me.

"Thanks," I smiled back and returned to my desk, even more eager to get out and prove I could do this job on my own.

I used my computer to look up the properties I'd been assigned, and figured out which order would be the most efficient. Jacob had only given me a few appointments today, so I would be able to take my time and make sure I had everything covered.

I was just about to leave when Mike called my name. "Yo, Bella, hold on!"

I rolled my eyes before turning around. "What is it, Mike?"

"This one just came in, and it seems like it should go to you. It's a neighbor complaint in Queen Anne Hill about garbage in the yard, and it's a single family home so…"

"Sure, I'll take it, I guess. Um… thanks, Mike, see you later." I checked the paperwork Mike handed me. Hmmm… Edward Cullen. Whoever he was, he had a lot of nerve junking up a gorgeous, historic home in such a prestigious neighborhood.

I thought I heard Mike chuckle as I walked out the door, but when I looked back he was just sitting at his desk. I shook off the funny feeling and got back to being excited about my day. I was prepared and confident - Edward Cullen wouldn't know what hit him.

The day passed quickly with various inspections. I checked out a small house where a contractor was adding a second story for a growing family, and next I gave preliminary approval to a man who wanted to build a new garage in his backyard. I ate lunch in my car and visited a few more homes before heading to the final stop of the day, Edward Cullen's house.

To be completely honest, I was a little nervous about this stop. Most of our inspections were because people needed clearance for something, and even if they didn't like what we had to say, we were still invited on to the property. Complaints were different – they meant dropping by unannounced to tell people they were doing something wrong. When I had shadowed the guys on a few complaint calls, some people understood that we were just doing our jobs, but many were upset and hostile.

As I turned the corner of the prestigious block, it was easy to spot which house was my target. In a row of beautifully kept historic homes, Edward Cullen's stuck out like a hobo at high tea. I loved the architecture of these exquisite buildings, and the architect in me started to get angry that someone would treat such a gorgeous place with obvious disrespect.

I pulled to the curb, parking behind an ancient and rusty orange truck, and started surveying the yard. It was randomly littered with junk, from a bright green sofa bed that had only one cushion, to an exercise bike with a fan for a front wheel. There were broken tables and tacky lamps, a beat-up dress form and half of a child's racecar bed, and all manner of other things that made the front yard look like a graveyard for Goodwill rejects.

I started taking notes and snapping a few photos, but this was clearly a violation of Title 21, Chapter 36, paragraph 425 A, which prohibited the accumulation of garbage on a property. Gathering my courage, I walked to the front door and rang the doorbell.

After a few moments, the door swung open to reveal quite possibly the most attractive man I had ever seen. He was tall with a slender yet strong build, and his arresting green eyes demanded you seek them out behind his dark-rimmed glasses. His messy copper hair was on the long side, adding to his effortless sex appeal. My mouth opened and closed for a few endless seconds before I regained my purpose.

"Hello, is Edward Cullen at home?" I asked in my best professional voice.

"Depends on who's asking, but for you… that's me," he said with a roguish wink.

I shook off the part of me that wanted to be struck dumb by his good looks, and continued my script. "I'm Bella Swan with the City of Seattle's Inspections Division. I'm afraid we need to discuss a code violation on your property, Mr. Cullen. I need to inform you about the requirements of Section 21 – "

"Are you a stripper or something?" he interrupted.

"What? No! Of course not!" I tried to keep calm, but I was totally floored. Who the hell asks something like that?

He shrugged, nonplussed. "I don't know, it seemed like something my buddies might do, hire a hot stripper to act like a building inspector."

I was too offended to even appreciate the fact that he'd said I was hot. "Why would you possibly think it was okay to ask if I was a stripper? I can't even fathom – "

"You're right," he interrupted again. "Besides, if they hired a stripper they would make sure to be here to watch the show anyway. What was I thinking?" he mused.

I tried to make my brain return to the conversation I needed to have, but I was completely flustered. "What's with all the junk in your yard?" I blurted out instead, stepping back onto the porch and gesturing with my arm.

"Junk? JUNK?" He clutched his chest in mock offense, but then he smiled. "Yeah, it's junk. My buddy Jasper and I have a game where we drive around in my truck and look for stuff with 'free' signs on it. Then we go back the next day, and if it's still there, we have to take it home and put it in the front yard. The uglier, the better – that's our motto." He joined me on the porch and looked proudly at the mess he'd created.

"Why do you put it in the front yard?" I asked, simultaneously baffled and intrigued.

"Well, we can't put it inside, it might have bedbugs and germs and shit, right? And no one could see it in the backyard, so it has to be in the front. Don't look at me, I didn't make up the rules." He paused to consider. "Well, maybe I did make up the rules, but I might have been slightly inebriated at the time so… there you go." He smiled and nodded at me like that explanation made perfect sense, and I should turn around and leave him to his craziness.

I cleared my throat and tried to regain my sense of reality. "Actually, Mr. Cullen, having all this garbage in your front yard is a violation of the City's municipal code. Section 21, Chapter 36 prohibits the accumulation of solid waste like this. I'm afraid you'll have to clean it up." I said matter-of-factly.

"Well of course, then. Your wish is my command," he said, sarcasm hanging heavily from his words. "Um… no. Sorry, but I can't do that, Inspector. It would pretty much break Jasper's heart. Plus we'll just go find more tomorrow, so what's the point?" He shrugged and looked at me innocently.

"This may come as a shock to you, Mr. Cullen, but the City of Seattle doesn't care about Jasper's heart, or the rules of your silly game." I smiled smugly. Damn it, when did I get smug? I hated smugness - it reminded me of the senior inspectors that I was so happy to be free of. Stupid, handsome Edward Cullen was flustering me and bringing out my smug side. I had to put a stop to this.

A loud noise made me turn my head, and I saw a beat-up green motorbike with a malfunctioning muffler coming down the street. It stopped behind my car, and when the rider got off and removed his helmet, another insanely handsome guy was revealed. What was it with this house? The new guy was shorter but muscular, with unruly blonde hair almost down to his shoulders and vivid blue eyes. He was dressed very similarly to Edward in an old t-shirt, ripped jeans, and scuffed Doc Martins, but somehow the grunge-hippie look seemed to fit both of them just right.

"Jazz! What's up, man?" Edward waved at the blonde man.

"Not much, bro. Who's your friend?"

"This is Bella Swan, and before you ask… she's not a stripper." Edward chuckled a bit as I fumed.

"Well that's a damn shame, but everyone is entitled to their choice of profession, I suppose." Jasper smiled easily.

I had definitely had more than enough. "Mr. Cullen, I will not stand here and listen to this. I am an agent of the City and I - "

Edward interrupted me again. "Yeah Jazz, apparently Bella here doesn't like what we've done with the front yard."

Jasper tried hard to look like he cared, but he was too laid back to pull it off. "Woah, Bella, that's harsh. What's not to like?"

"It's not a matter of whether I like it or not, it is a violation of the City code, and I just -"

"Jazz, I tried to tell her that if we moved this stuff it would break your heart, and she said she didn't care." Edward pouted at his friend as he interrupted me yet again.

I tried to keep calm but couldn't help raising my voice in frustration. "Mr. Cullen, will you let me finish my sentence please?"

Jasper spoke up this time. "I'm sorry, ma'am, he's terribly rude. The floor is yours, darlin'," he said in a swoon-worthy southern drawl.

"Thank you, Mr… Jasper. As I was saying, the garbage in the yard is a violation of City code, and it has to be moved. I'm going to issue a Notice of Violation – "

Edward broke in, "I get a citation? Really? Do you promise?" He suddenly looked excited.

I was baffled, but vowed not to let him throw me off any more than he already had. "Yes, it will be mailed tomorrow. You'll have 14 days from the date of the letter to correct the problem. I… will be back to inspect again at that time." Oh shit, I had to come back to this nuthouse.

Edward nodded enthusiastically. "That's just wonderful Bella. I'm really looking forward to seeing you again." He stuck out his hand, and not knowing how to refuse I took it and shook it as briefly as possible, ignoring the tingles that raced up my arm at his touch. It must be the residual insanity that made me feel that way… I hoped it wasn't contagious.

Jasper flopped down on one of the germ-ridden couches as I was turning to get in my car. "Bye, darlin'. It sure was nice meeting you."

"Um… thanks. You too. Bye," I rushed to get in the vehicle and start the engine before they could say anything else. As I drove away, I could see Edward in my rearview mirror with a ridiculous grin on his face as he gave Jasper a high-five. Seriously, that was bizarre...

I was still puzzling over my visit to Edward Cullen's house when I arrived back at the office. Maybe I was paranoid, but it seemed like all the guys were watching me closely as I walked to my desk and set down my files for the day. I started to input my findings and get the citation letters ready, but I still felt eyes on me so I decided to cut the shit and just ask. "Hey guys, what's up?"

Mike piped up first. "We just wanted to know how your first solo day was. Did you have any trouble remembering the citations?" he asked with a smirk.

"Nope, no trouble. It was just fine, thanks" I turned back to my computer monitor and rolled my eyes. I was sure I did better than he had on his first day solo.

"Really, little lady, how was your day? Did you encounter anything strange?" Tyler's question seemed innocent enough, but I could tell he was hinting at something.

"Other than a guy who was thrilled to get a violation notice? No, nothing odd. Everything went smoothly." I had the feeling I was missing out on a joke, which meant I probably was.

"Really?" Eric chimed in. He coughed a little, and it sounded suspiciously like he was trying to cover up a laugh. "Who was so happy to get a violation?"

I could feel my frustration returning as I felt completely out of the loop. "Um… it was the last house. His name was Edward Cullen, I think." Bullshit. I didn't think, I knew. Stupid Edward Cullen and his gorgeous self with his stupid flustering questions.

Mike and Tyler broke out laughing for real, and I was starting to get seriously pissed off. "OK, ha ha guys, what's the joke?" I demanded.

Ben wasn't laughing his ass off like the others, just smiling and chuckling a little, so he was the one who answered me. "Edward Cullen is kind of well-known around the City offices, Bella."

"Well known? How? For what?"

Eric toned his laughter down enough to reply, "For being an asshole!" before cracking the hell up again. I was glad he found himself so funny.

Thankfully, Ben seemed to take pity on me. "Edward Cullen seems to love to sue the city for anything and everything that strikes his fancy. The kid's a lawyer, and he apparently he doesn't do any actual work so he's got plenty of time to cook up these lawsuits. Personally, I think he's just bored, but he still pisses people off. He comes off as such a smartass."

Yeah, that sounded like the Edward Cullen I had met this afternoon.

"Thanks so much for the warning, Ben. I guess you must have forgotten again," I said sarcastically. "So why was he so happy to get a citation?"

Jacob cleared his throat from behind me. "Probably because he plans to fight it in court. You just gave him his next fun little project. I'm sorry, Bella, I suspected that call was going to be trouble, which is why I gave the file to Mike initially." Our boss zeroed in on Mike with a stern glare. "Do you want to explain to me how Bella ended up with it?"

Mike tried to hide the brief look of panic that crossed his face. "Um… well… I didn't really look at the name at first, I just thought it was a pretty simple single family home call and you wanted those to go to Bella, right? That's what you said in the meeting, right?" He smiled hopefully, trying hard to sell his load of bullshit.

Jacob bristled and seemed ready to fire back at Mike, but I broke in. "It's fine, I don't mind."

The guys swiveled their heads toward me like they had forgotten I was even in the room, and looked at me in surprise. "What did you say, Bella?" Jacob asked.

"I'm fine, really. I'm confident in my assessment of Mr. Cullen's house and the citation I issued, and I'm not afraid of him trying to fight it. I don't mind taking my share of tough cases." I said. I couldn't let them take a case away from me on my first day, and I felt strongly that if I handled a few tough inspections that the guys would get off my back that much sooner.

Jacob sighed. "Well, if you're sure, Bella, I guess it's OK with me. Don't think I've forgotten this, though, Mike. We'll discuss this later." Jacob looked pointedly at Mike for a few moments before heading back into his office.

Mike shuddered slightly, then looked away before speaking again. "Thanks, Swan." He spoke quietly enough so the other guys couldn't hear, but his usual condescending tone was conspicuously absent.

I turned back to my computer screen to hide my smile. It wasn't much, but those two words made me feel like I had a shot at earning his respect someday. "No problem, Newton."

After the letter was complete, I pushed the "Print" button on Mr. Cullen's Notice of Violation with no small amount of satisfaction. I was strangely relieved to be keeping this case. As irritating as he was, I couldn't deny that I was looking forward to seeing Edward Cullen again.

"Well, Mr. Cullen," I murmured to myself. "You want a fight? Game on."

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><p><strong>A couple of endnotes that didn't merit top-of-the-story status – <strong>

**I'm familiar with the inspection and code violation process in my own city, so I'm applying it to Seattle along with some research I've done and a dash of artistic license. Hopefully it's believable enough, but if you work for the City of Seattle and have an issue with how I've portrayed things, let me know. **

**The chapters will alternate POV, but will not repeat events. We'll pick up next time with Edward as Bella is driving off...  
><strong>

**I'm mamabean30 on Twitter if you want to say hi – I'm kind of new over there and I love meeting new people!**

**So… what did you think? Thank you so much for reading, and I'd dearly love to hear any and all feedback. Please, someone leave me my first review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm posting this chapter early, because I'm excited for you to meet Edward :) I'll post Chapter 3 on Wednesday, and further updates will be weekly on Wednesday mornings. **

**I am fortunate to have some amazing pre-readers: BookishQua, Jillian Landers, FantasyMother, and Twilover76 all helped make this story better, and gave me tremendous support and encouragement. A million thanks also to Detochkina for the speedy and amazing beta work – any remaining mistakes are mine. Thank you all so much, ladies! They're all very talented authors themselves, so if you haven't read their work – go, do it now!**

**Oh, and quite obviously, SM owns all.**

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><p><em>Edward<em>

.

Jasper and I sat in the front yard and watched the not-stripper inspector maneuver her killer legs and stunning body into the white city-issued sedan, and I reached over for a high five as she pulled away.

The broken brown recliner I was sitting in creaked and groaned as I laid back and put my hands behind my head. "Well, Jazz, I'd say that was a spectacular afternoon."

He sighed and kicked his feet up onto a coffee table with three legs. "You just couldn't leave the poor girl alone to do her job, huh?" He smiled ruefully. My roommate and best friend was quite familiar with my habit of messing with random strangers and had learned to play along. Telemarketers were my favorite targets, but if the mood hit me I would torment almost anyone for my own amusement.

Just last week, I explained to an unsuspecting door-to-door salesman that although his rebate program was convincing, we couldn't possibly replace our windows because it would anger the ghosts that lived in the house. Jasper overheard me and snuck upstairs to slam the windows shut while standing to the side so he couldn't be seen. We both laughed our asses off when the salesman made a lame excuse and ran away as fast as he could.

I chuckled at the memory, and it brought me back to my new favorite target –the cute city inspector. "You should have seen her face when I first broke in and asked her if she was a stripper. She got so angry, but still cute, like a pissed off little bunny or something. It was epic, dude."

"Out of curiosity, why did you go with the stripper angle? That's pretty insulting to a smart chick like that," he commented.

I shrugged dismissively, but felt a small twinge of remorse poke the corner of my conscience. "I don't know, it was just the first thing that popped into my head and I figured it would throw her off. You think it was over the line?"

It was Jasper's turn to shrug. "Probably so, but she's gone now. What are you going to do about that citation?"

"I've got to brush up on the legal loopholes of the city code first, but I'll come up with something." I flashed Jazz my confident smirk. "I'm starving, dude. Have you eaten?"

"Not yet. Is Em coming over tonight?"

"I think so, we're due for a few rounds of Halo. I'll make him bring pizza." I took out my phone and found Emmett McCarty in my list of contacts, laughing quietly at the picture of him with an entire hamburger hanging out of his mouth. Even though Emmett was a responsible adult with a job and a live-in fianceé, he hung out at our place a couple times a week. We had all met in college and had some pretty wild times as roommates our senior year, but Emmett surprised us by having some ambition in life. He worked hard to start his own contracting business and despite the drop in construction in the area, he managed to stay afloat with his dependable reputation and great networking.

I dialed the phone and waited for him to answer. I guessed he was still at work, because he got straight to the point. "E, what's up?"

"Hey Em, I'm going to call in some pizzas, can you pick them up on your way over?

"Sure. Get me a double meat special?"

"You know, a vegetable now and then wouldn't kill you, dude."

"Shut up, slacker. I've been working all day, I need my protein," Emmett retorted.

"Whatever, chump. I'm calling for pizza now, so you'd better wrap up the important work shit and get your ass over here."

"Yeah, yeah. Later." Emmett hung up the phone with no further wasting of his precious work time.

After I ordered the pizza – one for each of us, and one extra for breakfast the next morning - Jazz and I lounged in the front yard for a few more minutes, enjoying the warm spring weather. A neighbor across the street came out to get her mail and glared pretentiously at us, but I just shut my eyes and leaned back some more.

"Damn, this stupid broken chair is uncomfortable as hell. Let's go in, yeah?" I finally said.

Jasper shrugged and got up to follow me. I decided to get set up in the TV room, which was supposed to be the formal dining room, but who the hell needed one of those? Our man cave sported a 52 inch plasma screen and three of the most comfortable leather recliners we could find. These weren't free – that rule only applied to the front yard furniture. Comfort was all that mattered, and luckily I had plenty of money to buy whatever furniture we wanted.

Having money was nice, because this crazy old house had a shitload of rooms to fill. Jazz and I had only lived here for a few months, so a lot of the rooms were still empty. For practical purposes, Jasper had a music room, and I had an office from which to plan my next assault on whatever city agency I decided to fight.

The living room contained a giant pool table and some arcade games in addition to a couple of couches. We also had a room dedicated to a taxidermied iguana Jazz had proudly won at an estate auction, along with our collection of ugly household decorative items. We'd accumulated them over the years during our regular visits to thrift stores, where we had a running contest to see who could find the ugliest stuff. I joked about remodeling the house to put in crazy stairways to nowhere and bathrooms with no toilet, but we were too lazy to start that just yet.

The truth was, I pretty much hated the house. I inherited it from my dad when he passed away three months ago - he'd just closed on it the week before. Jazz and I were living in a two bedroom place that didn't have nearly enough room for the crazy stuff we picked up, and when my dad died it seemed like a good idea to move into the big empty house I suddenly owned.

We quickly discovered that the neighbors were rather conceited, and my innate drive to piss people off kicked in. The snide looks started when we first pulled up to the house, my rusty truck overflowing with the odd assortment of furniture that Jazz and I had pieced together in our old apartment. The lady next door came over to 'welcome us to the neighborhood' in a cleverly disguised attempt to check out our furnishings and deduce what type of occupants we would be. The older man and wife on the other side stopped by later, just as Jazz and I were trying not to drop the large, navy-blue plaid couch I slept on in lieu of a bed. They peppered their chit-chat with not-so-subtle hints about how nice the neighborhood was, and how it was great that everyone cared so much about keeping up their homes.

Later, relaxing on the front porch with a beer or six, Jasper and I were brainstorming ways to mess with the neighbors when we thought up the free-styling pickup game. I knew right away it would be wildly unpopular, so of course we had to start the very next day. We drove around town in my rusty old pickup – I could easily afford something new, but I loved that truck – and picked up a busted chair and a broken table. We went looking for new additions at least a couple times a week, and evidently now the neighbors had decided to move beyond openly glaring and actually file a complaint.

That brought me back to Inspector-Not-Stripper, Bella Swan, and I smiled again. Who knew city employees could be so gorgeous? She really was a beauty, with her long coffee-colored hair and extra expressive deep brown eyes. Her sexy yet professional pencil skirt made her legs look amazing, and…

I was shaken abruptly from my daydream by a sharp pain on the side of my neck. "Jazz, what the fuck?" I yelled as I wiped helplessly at the slimy blue splotch left behind by the paintball he'd shot at me. Shit, that was going to leave a mark.

Jasper had dropped the paintball gun and was laughing like a dumbass. "Dude, what were you thinking about? You had this dreamy look on your face… sorry man, I couldn't help it. I actually meant to hit the chair right next to your head, but it turns out I can't aim for shit."

"Damn it! I thought we said no paintballs in the house." That was a loosely enforced rule at best, and we used low-powered guns indoors, but still...

"You're right, my bad. Let me get that for you." Jazz got a wet towel from the nearby bathroom, but I snatched it away.

"I can wipe my own neck, thanks," I grumbled.

I got the paint off and looked in the mirror, and Jazz burst out laughing again. "That… that totally looks like a hickey!" he choked out.

"Thanks, man, that's great." I rubbed the bruise that was quickly forming, but my skin only got redder.

"At least now you look like you get some action. Maybe it'll help break your dry spell and you can finally meet your slumpbuster."

"Yeah, because nothing makes a girl drop her panties faster than seeing a hickey on a man's neck. Have you ever _met_ a woman before?" I asked him sarcastically.

"Shut up, I think it brings out their competitive nature or something. We should go out to a club and do an experiment to find out, use the scientific method and shit," Jasper suggested. "You need to get laid, my man."

"You shut the fuck up about what I need," I growled.

I didn't want to admit it, but Jasper was right. It had been quite a while since I had any female company, but with the death of my father and all the changes it brought to my life, I just hadn't felt like getting out there for random hook-ups anymore.

Jazz looked at me self-righteously, and I fought the urge to smack the smirk off his face. He almost never lacked for female company, having stumbled into a pretty solid fuckbuddy relationship with his old girlfriend, Maria. They kept things casual and open, but I knew he'd gone over there for a booty call just a few nights ago.

I sighed. "Sorry, Jazz. You're right, I just… I just don't know."

Jasper sat down in his recliner and rubbed his hands together like he was about to do a magic trick. Maybe he planned to pull a beautiful woman out of a hat? "So if you're not into the casual thing anymore, let's think about possibilities. Who do we know that's girlfriend material?"

"Ugh, are you my matchmaker now? I don't need a girlfriend right now."

Ignoring my statement, Jasper wouldn't give up on the Yenta act. "Well, have you seen anyone lately that caught your eye? Or your… head?" he snickered and gestured at his crotch.

I rolled my eyes, but my thoughts went back to the pretty inspector from earlier. I'd thoroughly enjoyed getting her so flustered, and I could only imagine how great it would be to get her so turned on she couldn't think straight. First I'd kiss those pouty lips until she couldn't remember her stupid inspector script, and then I'd undo the buttons of that crisp white shirt, kissing down her body as I went. She'd probably think of some smartass comment, so I'd have to kiss her some more to shut her up while my hands wandered over her ass and snuck under her hot librarian skirt…

Jasper snapped his fingers in front of my face. "Dude, do I have to get the paintball gun again? Who were you thinking about just now?"

"Mind your own business, you nosy bastard," I brushed him off.

"Come on, tell me who it was! Do I know her? Was it someone you saw recently?"

"Fine. If I tell you, will you drop it?" I glared at him as he nodded enthusiastically. "I thought that inspector was pretty cute. I guess she was kind of my type, or whatever." I shrugged, embarrassed to be talking like this.

Jasper stared at me for a second, then completely cracked up. "Edward Cullen, the famous pain-in-the-ass of City Hall, has a crush on the building inspector?" he chortled. "That's the best thing I've heard all day!"

"I'm done discussing this, dude. You promised we would drop it. And I don't have a fucking crush, like a twelve year old girl. She's hot, and I thought it would be fun to fuck her. And that's all it is." I was trying to convince myself just as much as Jasper, but luckily Emmett walked in and provided a distraction.

"Yo – a little help?" Emmett bellowed from the doorway, burdened by four pizza boxes. "My stomach is caving in on itself over here!"

"Yeah, Em, I've been meaning to tell you you're wasting away. You'd better eat something quick or there won't be any of you left." I elbowed him in the ribs as I took two of the boxes and set them on the coffee table, which really should have been called the pizza table since we never even considered using it for coffee.

Jasper passed out beers from the well-stocked fridge in the corner of the TV room, and we each settled in a chair with a pizza to watch ESPN while we ate. It was pretty much heaven, until Emmett spoke up.

"Hey E, what's with the hickey? Did you finally break the slump? Way to go, man." He held up a hand for a high five, but I left him hanging.

"It's not a hickey, it was fucking Jasper," I said with disgust. I rubbed my neck again, trying to take the rest of the sting away.

Emmett looked between the two of us and blinked a few times. "Did this relationship move to the next level and no one told me?" He held up his hands defensively. "Not that I have a problem with that or anything."

Jasper laughed and gagged simultaneously, and I cursed. "No, goddamnit. I meant that this asshole shot me in the neck with a paintball a few minutes ago and now my neck is bruised like I got a fucking hickey without any of the sexual satisfaction that comes with it."

Emmett started laughing too, and I couldn't help but snicker a little even though I was still pissed off. Jasper just couldn't keep his mouth shut, though. "I wouldn't have been able to get such a direct hit if you hadn't been so busy fantasizing about your new dream girl," he chuckled victoriously.

"Eddie's got a dream girl? Who's this?" Emmett perked up. He was absolutely devoted to Rose, but he still loved to hear about our bachelor exploits.

"I don't have a dream gi –"

Jasper broke in. "Get this – she's the new building inspector, and she came to give him a ticket because of the crap in the front yard! And Eddie drooled all over himself trying to impress her. She's only been gone an hour, and he's gotten this dreamy lovesick look on his face twice already."

"I did not drool –"

Emmett interrupted this time. "Is she hot? What does she look like?"

Jasper nodded. "She's medium height, long brown hair. Have you seen her?"

I was fucking sick of being interrupted, and feeling a little guilty about the way I had cut Bella off earlier, but I didn't say anything since I wanted to hear Emmett's answer.

"I think so. I don't remember her name, though."

I sighed and answered, "Bella Swan. But I don't have a cru – "

Emmett interrupted again. "Oh yeah, she came around shadowing Tyler last week. That asshole was completely rude to her, too. She found a problem with the wiring, but Tyler acted like she didn't know what the fuck she was talking about. I was glad she spotted it though. Our electrician got back to fix it right away. I guess he'd let his apprentice handle it, and the kid screwed it up."

I didn't give two shits about the wiring at the construction site, but I felt worse about giving Bella such a hard time knowing that she got it from her co-workers too. Jeez, I was an ass sometimes.

Jasper finished his last slice of pizza and got up to stretch. "Anyway, Eddie-boy here is smitten. Smitten like a kitten in a mitten," he laughed. "Shit, I only had three beers and I'm totally buzzed already. Let's play some Halo, gentlemen."

I took offense at the 'smitten kitten' comment, but I didn't want to change the subject back to my non-existent crush on Bella, so I silently passed out the controllers and booted up the Xbox. Within a few moments we were shooting at each other, trading insults and laughing, and thankfully there was no more talk about my love life.

Jazz was just about to win his first round when the doorbell rang. I paused the game and glared at the guys, warning them not to start it again while I was gone and shoot my helpless character. I jogged to the door and opened it wide, only to stop dead.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I sneered.

Victoria shook her curly red hair and inspected a well-manicured nail. "Well, hello to you too, Edward dear. May I come in?"

"Why would I want to inflict your company on me and my friends? You're not exactly a pleasure to be around," I scoffed.

"Get over yourself, Edward. I need to talk to you." Victoria pushed past me into the house, and took her skanky yet well-toned ass to the kitchen like she owned the place. Well, she wished she did anyway.

I wouldn't confess it, but dealing with Victoria always threw me off a little. She was my father's fianceé, and oddly enough she was almost exactly my age. It was a complete mystery to me what Carlisle saw in her. She had a decent body, I guess, but her bitchy personality and her odd wardrobe of expensive slutty clothing were enough of a turn-off to counteract her attractive curves.

Maybe my dad was lonely and she was nice to him, or maybe he wanted to try out the trophy-wife thing. Who knew? He and I had never fought so bitterly as when he'd proposed to Victoria, and I was still convinced she was only after his money. Hell, maybe he knew she was a gold digger and he just didn't care. He'd never told me, and now, thanks to his sudden and massive heart attack, I'd never be able to ask.

Victoria took a bottle of water from the fridge and opened it. "What have you done to my house, Edward?" she asked before taking a small sip.

"Your house? Hmmm… damn, I thought I left your junky double-wide right in the trailer park where it belonged… let me think…" I pretended to ponder.

"So funny as usual, Edward," she purred viciously. "What's the deal with all the stuff on the front lawn? You know your father bought this house for me, so why do you insist on living here and keeping up your games?"

"He bought it for you?" I feigned surprise. "Oh, is that why he didn't leave it to you in his will? That makes total sense now." I couldn't keep the smirk off my face.

Victoria's face flushed with rage before she quickly composed herself again. "Look, Edward, I've got my lawyers looking into my rights here, but I really would prefer not to go to court over this."

"Um, yeah, because you'd lose," I broke in with a chuckle.

"No, that's not…" Victoria stopped and put on her best sad face. "Regardless of what you think of me, I really did love your father, and I don't want this drag on. I also don't want the attention of a trial... and who knows what would come out in a courtroom?" She looked at me purposefully.

"Are you threatening me? Because you can say whatever you want about my father, it doesn't bother me. It's not like I'm some pillar of the community and I'm worried about my reputation." I laughed outright. It was painfully clear Victoria was grasping at straws, trying to get a piece of my inheritance. Well she could just take one of those straws and suck it, for all I cared.

"Hey, dude, we unpaused the game and killed your guy like twenty times, what gives?" Jasper wandered into the kitchen. He spotted Victoria, and jumped backwards with his hands held up in front of him. "Woah! Wicked stepmother alert!"

Victoria fixed him with an icy stare. "Hello, Jasper. Can you please leave us alone for a moment? I need to finish talking to Edward."

Emmett joined the party then, too. He hadn't had the honor of meeting Victoria yet, but he seemed to sense the hostile atmosphere in the kitchen, and he gave her a strange look.

"What?" she snapped.

Emmett shrugged. "Don't look at me, I just want ice cream." He went to the freezer and pulled out a half gallon container, then retrieved a spoon and faced Victoria while shoving a gargantuan bite in his mouth. "Mmmmm… wroky wrode…" he garbled and smiled widely, revealing chunks of chocolate stuck in his teeth.

"Ewww. I guess… I'll just be going then," Victoria said. "Edward, can I talk to you on the way out, at least?"

I gritted my teeth and turned to walk her to the door, deciding that whatever got her to leave at this point would be worth it. "What do you want, Victoria?"

"Just think about it, Edward, that's all I'm asking. Your father never foresaw this situation, which is why he never changed his will. If he hadn't… left us…" She sniffled for effect.

"Please, I'm not on the Oscar committee, and I don't buy the crying act. Give it up and get to the damn point," I said.

Victoria seemed to flip a switch and turn off her tears of heartbreak. "All I want is this house, and a few million in a trust fund to live on. I know you can spare the cash, and you clearly don't know what to do with this place. Your father would have wanted me to be taken care of, Edward."

I snorted in disbelief. "That's all you want? You've got to be shitting me." I shook my head. "Okay, here's my counter offer: Get the fuck out of my house right now, and… well I guess that's all." I opened the door and gestured for her to leave.

"Just consider it, Edward. Think about what your dad would have wanted," she said as she walked out onto the porch.

I slammed the door behind her without another word, and turned the lock forcefully. "Yeah, I'll do that," I muttered to myself.

I took a few seconds to calm down, then headed to the bar next to the kitchen. I needed a drink after that little encounter, and I poured myself some scotch as the guys tentatively stepped towards me.

"So that was your almost-wicked-stepmom?" Emmett asked, still holding the carton of ice cream that was already nearly empty.

I sighed and tipped back my drink, relishing the burn in my throat as it went down. It seemed like I might need to get a little drunk tonight. "Yes, that was her. Victoria," I said her name with a cross between a sneer and a snarl. A sneerl. Shit, maybe I was half-drunk already, I thought as I poured another glass.

"What did she want?" Jasper questioned gently.

I shook my head as I remembered her insane demands. "She wants this house, and a couple million dollars in a trust fund. She claims she's ready to go to court." My second drink went down as quickly as the first, and I lifted the bottle again.

My buddies looked at me quizzically. "Does she have a right to anything?" Jasper asked.

"Not legally, but she thinks I should 'do what my father would have wanted and give it to her.' As if my dad ever told me what the hell he was doing with her in the first place," I sighed.

"What are you going to do?" Emmett asked.

"Fuck if I know. I don't want to give the golddigging bitch anything, I just want her to go away," I grumbled.

"It's the weirdest thing, I could swear I've seen her somewhere before, but I can't picture where..." Emmett seemed to be deep in thought, but didn't say anything else.

I sipped my third scotch a little more slowly, not wanting to pass out quite yet. "Look, guys, I don't really want to talk about it anymore. Let's go see how bad you screwed me over in Halo."

We returned to the game, but my heart just wasn't in it and the liquor was starting to affect my coordination, so we wrapped it up and Emmett headed for home.

I sat in my chair, still nursing my drink as Jasper headed for the stairs. "I was going to go work in the music room a little, but if you want company…" he offered.

I motioned with my wobbly head at the steps. "Go for it, dude. I think I want to be alone right now anyway."

Jasper nodded. "Well, let me know, man. You know I'm here for you," he said, and headed up the stairs.

I sat in the chair and contemplated how such a simple, pleasant evening had gotten so fucked up. I wished that I knew how to feel about everything, instead of being completely confused all the time. My father and I had never been particularly close, but when I finished law school and refused to work at his firm, he blew up. I was sure I'd been a huge disappointment to him, and maybe that was what drove him to seek out someone like Victoria in the first place.

My mother had died when I was seven, and I honestly didn't remember her much besides the pictures I saw. My dad was already a workaholic, and stricken with grief, he threw himself into his job even more. We had quite a bit of old family money to start with, but Carlisle had added some zeros to his own net worth before realizing the dream of his own firm with his good friend and partner Jason Jenks. Cullen Jenks was one of the most prestigious corporate law firms in Seattle, and after I graduated law school, Carlisle expected me to join the ranks and take over his legacy.

I went to law school in the first place to get my father off my back, but while there I discovered I really liked the law. I was smart, quick-thinking and good at debating, and I enjoyed the excitement of a courtroom and the different ways laws could be interpreted. However, corporate law seemed to be all about billing and kissing ass, looking over contracts and deals and figuring out how to get your client the biggest payoff. It wasn't my interest at all, and Carlisle didn't take it well when I told him.

Even still, when my father died I inherited his interest in the firm along with everything else. I immediately sold my share to dad's partner Jenks, whose two sons were toeing the line and doing their best to be worthy of taking over someday. Good for them.

Maybe that explained why I was so hostile to Victoria – I was mad at myself that my father's disappointment in me had driven him to her arms in the first place. Or some shit. Jeez, you'd think I had a minor in psychology, the way I was stringing this crap together. Or maybe I was hostile because she was a golddigging bitch and I didn't want to give her a penny. That seemed quite probable too.

I gave up the psychoanalysis for the evening and drank another glass of scotch before swaying my way up the stairs and collapsing in bed. As I lay there with my eyes closed, sleep eluded me. I tried to clear my mind and think of happy things, like beer and free shit on my front lawn, and all of the sudden Bella Swan popped into my head. I smiled as I remembered her beautiful face and went back to my earlier daydream of kissing her senseless. I wondered if I would ever see her again… but wait, she was coming back to re-inspect my yard.

I frowned. How would I ever get to kiss her if she was all business again and insisted I clean things up? I couldn't give in to the pretentious neighbors. Plus, I liked my lawn art. Hmm… maybe that was an idea…

I finally fell asleep as my thoughts swirled around how to get out of the citation and also get Bella Swan to like me. As much as it worried me, and as much as I would never admit it to Jasper, one thing was quickly becoming very clear: I had a stupid fucking crush on Inspector Swan. Fuck. My. Life.

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><p><strong>A couple of endnotes – <strong>

**This story is completely written, and updates will post weekly. Chapters will alternate POV, but will not repeat events. Next chapter we'll pick up with Bella as she's leaving her office fuming…**

**I'm mamabean30 on Twitter if you want to say hi – I'm kind of new over there, and I love meeting new people!**

**What did you think of Edward and Jasper? Thank you so much for reading, and I'd love to hear any and all feedback! See you Wednesday!  
><strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**I am SO grateful to my amazing pre-readers: BookishQua, Jillian Landers, FantasyMother, and Twilover76 all helped make this story better, and gave me tremendous support and encouragement. A million thanks also to Detochkina for the beta work, especially fixing my quotation tags – any remaining mistakes are mine. Thank you all so much, ladies! They're all very talented authors themselves, so if you haven't read their work – go, do it now!**

**Oh, and quite obviously, SM owns all.**

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><p><em>Bella<em>

.

While driving home from work that evening, I cranked my angry playlist so loud that my speakers buzzed and the drivers of other cars turned to look. Even though I was resigned to keeping the case, I was pretty pissed that the guys had sent me to that house knowing there could be trouble. I felt betrayed by my co-workers, and it burned me that Edward Cullen had gotten the best of me. Next time I'd handle it better, I determined – I could snark with the best of them, and I wouldn't let him get me flustered.

I pulled into the garage of our building, feeling marginally better after screaming my lungs out singing along to the pounding music. Alice wasn't home yet, so I put on some more tunes while I started to make dinner. Cooking was my job, since Alice had been responsible for more than a few culinary disasters before. Once, she wanted to make a dessert for a party, so I told her she couldn't possibly screw up Rice Krispie bars. Alice promptly forgot to add the marshmallows, and essentially fried the cereal in butter.

The tough day I'd had called for some comfort food, so I got out the ingredients for fettuccine alfredo and poured myself a glass of wine. Screw it, I'd make garlic cheese bread too. I was halfway through the bottle of chardonnay when Alice danced through the door.

"Hey, B! How was your first day solo? Amazing, right?" She looked so hopeful I hated to bring her down, and the day really had been great, until the end.

"Um..." I stalled.

Alice looked at the half-empty bottle of wine and the small mountain of carb-tastic Italian food I was cooking. "Uh, oh. What happened?"

"Well, the day was actually really good, until the end. Mike set me up… there was a complaint about a guy who he knew was a huge asshole, and he sent me out to the house without a warning."

Alice cringed as she helped herself to a glass of wine. "Was it really bad?"

I thought about my interaction with Edward Cullen and how to explain it to Alice, and I just shook my head. "You wouldn't have believed it, Ali. The guy is nuts! He keeps junk in his front yard and has no verbal filter… when I started telling him why I was there, he interrupted to ask if I was a stripper!"

Alice's jaw dropped. "Are you serious? What an asshole!" Her cheeks flushed as she got enraged on my behalf.

"Ugh, I know! I said no, of course, and I wanted to slap him straight across the face. But instead I got totally flustered – thinking back on it now, I'm sure that's what he wanted all along." I shook my head in disgust. "Get this, he keeps crap in his yard that he and his buddy pick up around town with 'free' signs on it. It's a whole game, they have rules and everything." I laughed at the absurdity of it all, since it _was_ pretty funny and the wine was starting to kick in.

Alice was cracking up too, and we giggled away the rest of the stress from the day. "Wow, he sounds like a crazy old coot! Was he an old hippie or something?"

"No, that's actually his one redeeming quality - he and his friend were both hot as hell. I wish I hadn't been so damned floored, I could have at least appreciated the view a little more. Next time I'll be more prepared," I said.

"Next time?" My roomie perked up.

I had to admit, I was still angry, and yet part of me was looking forward to seeing Edward Cullen again. "Unfortunately, I have to go back in fourteen days to make sure the citation has been taken care of," I said reluctantly.

"Are you blushing?" she exclaimed, as I shook my head furiously. "He must be really hot! Too bad he was so obnoxious , otherwise I'd tell you to go hit him up for some wild angry sex. It's been a while, you know…" She winked at me.

Oh, I was well aware of how long it had been, and so was my vibrator. And it wasn't from a lack of interest, but it seemed like all the guys I met were associated with the construction industry somehow. Maybe I was paranoid, but I worried that if I started dating one of them I would lose any respect I'd earned from my co-workers, and it could jeopardize any progress I'd made in my career. My six-week-old career as a building inspector… yeah. Well, it was the principle of the thing, but for now I was alone in my principles. Really alone.

I sighed and stirred the alfredo sauce. "He _was_ incredibly hot, but there's just no way. Even if he wasn't a huge asshole, and even if he was interested in me… if the guys at the office ever found out? I'd never hear the end of it."

"I know, I was just teasing. We've got to go out one of these nights and meet some guys who aren't in construction at all, so you can get laid. Maybe some computer programmers or something... oh! I wonder which bar the hot software jockeys at Microsoft go to? Maybe we can Google it?" Alice ran off to boot up her computer, and I shook my head and smiled as I turned to drain the pasta.

After dinner, Alice headed to her studio to work on some geek-attracting clothing for the night out she was planning for us. I hoped the outfit she created for me wouldn't be too bizarre, but I was usually a good sport. I went to my room and sent a couple e-mails to my parents and a few friends, then opened my web browser to the Google homepage. I resisted for a few moments, just long enough to make me feel a little better about being a crazy stalker, but finally I typed "Edward Cullen" into the little white box and pressed the enter key.

Surprisingly, it seemed that Edward lived off the grid. Maybe it made sense given his laid-back lifestyle, but I found no Facebook page, no website, and not many pictures. I learned that he had gone to Princeton for his undergrad and stayed there for law school. He was a registered member of the bar in the state of Washington, but he didn't work for any firm that I could see. An obituary article from the Seattle Times revealed that his father was a prominent corporate lawyer who had passed away only about three months ago, but there was no mention of his mother.

I started to feel creepier as I dug deeper, but decided to click on one last link. It was the annual report for a local charity, and they had a note thanking Edward Cullen for his generous donation and pro bono legal representation as they navigated the building codes and city regulations to expand their homeless shelter. Hmmm... he couldn't be completely terrible if he donated to charity, right?

As much as the man had irritated me today, I had to admit I was a little intrigued. Growing up with a police chief for a dad, I'd been the poster child for law-abiding citizens for all of my life. Edward Cullen's seemingly carefree existence and his joy in rebelling against social norms was strangely appealing to me.

I slammed my laptop closed in order to stop my pondering, and decided to take a long hot shower to relax before bed. After I finished and got in my pajamas, I snuggled between the sheets and read for a while but my brain just wouldn't shut off. I couldn't get Edward Cullen's face out of my head, and it wasn't until late into the night when I finally dropped into a fitful sleep.

The next morning at work, Jacob asked me to stay after our morning staff meeting.

I must have looked nervous, because he started out by reassuring me. "Everything's fine, Bella, don't worry. I just wanted to let you know that I read over your report on the Cullen house and saw the pictures, and I think your citations are clear and well-documented. Mr. Cullen might try to fight us on this somehow, but in my opinion he has absolutely no case."

"Oh, thanks. Checking up on me already, boss?" I teased.

"No, it's not that at all. It's standard procedure for me to review a case if we know that a citation might be challenged. You're doing great, Bella," he said with a smile. "Now have a good day, and don't think about Edward Cullen!" Jacob looked past me into the inspection room. "Newton! Come here, I've got your paperwork," he growled menacingly as Mike slunk over with his metaphorical tail between his legs.

* * *

><p>Not thinking about Edward Cullen was easier said than done.<p>

Despite the green eyes that occasionally invaded my thoughts, the days passed quickly. A few new construction projects came in for permits and I was thrilled when Jacob assigned two of them to me. It meant that I would inspect them throughout the entire construction period, and I was really looking forward to watching them develop. Even though I couldn't find work designing buildings, I still liked to think that when I drove by the completed structure I could feel some pride that I was involved.

I went on inspections every day, and even had to issue several more citations. One in particular was difficult for me – it was an older widow, Mrs. Clearwater, whose home was in disrepair. After a complaint from a neighbor, I had to cite her for the paint that was peeling off the sides of her home in large chunks. Her house desperately needed to be painted, but she couldn't afford to hire someone and her children lived far away. I apologized and told her I understood her dilemma, but it was my job to enforce the code. Still, I felt terrible and it wasn't like my co-workers would understand.

Finally the day arrived that I had mentally circled on my calendar for the last two weeks – it was time to go back to Edward Cullen's house. I printed off my paperwork that morning in preparation, but decided to save him for the last stop of the day.

"Where are you off to today, Bella?" asked Mike purposefully. It seemed I wasn't the only one keeping track of the date.

"I've got a lot going on, I'm swinging by the new construction site on Fourth street, so that should be interesting. You?" I asked innocently.

"Eh, same old, same old." He gave me an appraising glance. "When is it that you're going back to the Cullen place?"

"This afternoon, actually," I replied, gathering my things to leave.

"Well, uh…" Mike looked away and fidgeted with the folder in his hands. "I was just wondering if you wanted some backup. I mean, it would be your inspection and everything, but…" He seemed unsure of how to finish his sentence, so he just stopped talking.

I wasn't quite sure how to react to this new supportive and friendly Mike, and I couldn't tell if he was genuine or not, so I decided to file his offer under 'weird things to consider later.' "Um, thanks Mike, but I've got it. Have a good day!" I waved goodbye over my shoulder as I left the office. And yes, I used all of my fingers. It was a start.

The morning passed without incident. I ate lunch in my favorite park overlooking the Sound, and as I fed bits of my sandwich crust to the squirrels, I worked on calming my mind in preparation to see Edward Cullen again. I performed my next few inspections mechanically, all the while mentally chanting "I will not let Edward Cullen fluster me. I will not let Edward Cullen fluster me," over and over.

When it was time to head to the Cullen house, my stomach did flip-flops, even though I was as prepared as I could be. I'd even analyzed my outfit in the mirror this morning, ensuring I was as far from stripper-like as I could be in my black pinstriped pants and tailored gray shirt. I hoped that he had followed my instructions and cleaned up his yard, but somehow I suspected that wasn't the case. As I turned the corner, I could clearly see the junk still sitting there, but it looked like it had been rearranged and several items had been added, including some headless mannequins. Wonderful.

I pulled up and parked at the curb, letting out a huge sigh as I pulled out my camera to continue to document the condition of the property. I grabbed my paperwork and clipboard and stepped out onto the lawn. I was snapping a few photos to begin my report when the front door flung wide open.

"Why, if it isn't Inspector Bella Swan!" Edward said with a huge grin. "How are you this fine day?"

"I'd be better if you had followed my instructions and removed the garbage in your front yard," I said dryly.

"Garbage? GARBAGE?" Edward said in mock offense. "I resent that – I'll have you know I took your instructions very seriously, Miss Swan. It is Miss, isn't it? Not Mrs.? I don't see a ring, but I don't want to assume…"

I wasn't sure what to think of his not-so-subtle question about my relationship status, but I resolved to stick to business. "The citation I issued was quite specific, Mr. Cullen. It directed you to remove all of the excess refuse from your front yard and to bring your house into compliance with Title 21, Chapter 36 of the Seattle Municipal Code."

Edward gazed at me impishly. "But I have, you see. I even did some research and read the code in its entirety, so I would be sure to be in compliance." He smiled wider and nodded innocently.

I could feel a headache starting to form. I could NOT let him get to me. "Mr. Cullen, your house is most certainly not in compliance with the code. You obviously still have excess waste in your yard."

"No, I don't," he said simply.

"Yes, you do, it's right here." I replied, gesturing at the mess.

"No, I don't. Can't you see?" he asked again, a smirk sliding across his face.

"Mr. Cullen, are you telling me you don't see all this refuse in your front yard?" I asked, exasperation stealing into my tone despite my best efforts.

"I don't see any garbage," he said, "but I do see my new sculpture garden. I'm experimenting with 'found object' sculptures, and I think they're quite powerful if I do say so myself."

He kept talking as he strolled over to a ratty sofa with a mannequin laying on it. Several old TV's stacked at the end. "For example, this piece I call 'Tube Be Continued...'" He chuckled arrogantly at his own cleverness. "It's a commentary on the constancy of television as an entity in the modern American household, contrasted with the duality of the disposability of the actual device as people constantly upgrade to a newer and better model."

I was speechless for a moment, but I quickly recovered. "Mr. Cullen, please tell me you're joking."

"I assure you, Inspector Swan, I'm quite serious. Take a look at this piece over here…"

"Mr. Cullen, I don't need to see any more," I said firmly. Go me.

Edward smiled his stupidly beautiful crooked smile. "Well, I'm so glad you see things my way already. I have a catalogue of my sculpture garden for you to put in the file as you close out the citation – it contains an artist's statement, and then the title and description of each piece." He shoved a packet of paper at me, but I backed away without accepting it.

"No, Mr. Cullen. I can't take it, and I will not close out your citation. This is garbage, and it must be removed."

He put his hand to his chest. "You wound me, Ms. Swan. Everyone has different ideas of art, right? Why doesn't my art get the same consideration as my neighbors with their Greek lady over there?" He pointed across the street to a yard featuring a beautifully landscaped patio with a fountain and a toga-clad statue.

"Because it's not the same at all. You're clearly doing this to escape a citation and make your neighbors angry for some unknown reason, and your actions are against city code. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to finish taking some photos."

Edward interrupted again, "Ms. Swan, would you say you are an expert on art?"

"No," I said, with a sinking feeling about where this was going.

"Have you studied art at all?" he continued with a twinkle in his eye.

"Some, Mr. Cullen, but that's not the point. I may not be an art expert, but I've studied the City codebook and I know when I see a violation," I said sternly.

"But that's not…" Edward trailed off as we both watched a red convertible pull up behind my sedan. A scantily dressed woman with fiery red hair got out, and an angry look crossed Edward's face as he cursed under his breath. "Shit. I'm sorry, can you excuse me?"

I motioned with my hand that he should go. "I need to take some photos anyway. Go ahead."

Edward seemed to regain a tiny bit of his teasing mood. "Remember, that's my art. If you sell those photos to a gallery or something, I get royalties." He winked playfully, then reluctantly started over towards the redheaded woman.

I focused on taking the pictures I needed, documenting each 'sculpture' very carefully. I definitely did not take my time, and I definitely did not try to eavesdrop on Edward's conversation with the beautiful redhead. Of course not. I technically had to be there to take pictures, right? It wasn't my fault I could hear their conversation.

Edward cut off the woman as she was heading for the porch. "What the hell are you doing here, Victoria?" He had so much tension in his voice, I figured that she had to be an ex-girlfriend.

"I need to talk to you, Edward. Something's come up and I… can we just go inside?" the redhead now identified as Victoria said softly. Ugh, speak up, woman. Didn't she know I was trying to listen in?

Edward stopped short and sat down on the front stairs. "Nope. Not letting you in my house again. Ever."

Victoria sighed and sat down next to him. Luckily I was taking a picture of a pile of junk close to the front steps, and as I took my sweet time lining up the shot I took satisfaction in the fact that Edward quickly scooted away from the woman.

"So, Edward, who's your friend?" Victoria smirked.

"That's Inspector None-of-your-fucking-business. I have nothing to say to you, Victoria. We're done talking," Edward said.

"But Edward… I… I have to tell you something. I'm not quite sure how to say this… but… I'm pregnant," Victoria said, curling her hand protectively around her flat stomach.

Shocked, I almost dropped my camera. I momentarily forgot I was supposed to be taking pictures, staring openly at the two of them. Luckily neither of them seemed to notice.

Edward looked at her blankly for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed. "And just how is that my problem?"

Victoria's face flushed in anger. "You know why, Edward. You would really turn your back on your own flesh and blood?"

Edward laughed again, with a soulless tone that sent chills up my spine. "You've got to be shitting me, Victoria. If you're really pregnant, which I don't believe, there is no fucking way it's related to me."

I abruptly realized I hadn't moved since Victoria's revelation, and I quickly moved to resume taking pictures. I felt a little foolish about the number of photos I had taken, since this was shaping up to be the best documented front lawn in all of Seattle, but I just had to hear how this conversation went. How could Edward be so cold and callous to the mother of his child? I felt like I was seeing a completely different side to him, and I didn't like it one bit.

"Edward, it damn well is related to you. I'm not a cheater, and I'm already almost 18 weeks along. It must have happened at the very end… I didn't realize it at first because of the funeral and the stress of everything, but I was still feeling off so I went to the doctor, and here we are. Look, I even brought you the ultrasound picture," she said, shoving a small white square of paper in his face.

I assumed they were talking about Edward's dad's funeral, and I was a little confused about why that would stress out his girlfriend so much, but who knew? Maybe she was close to his dad, or maybe she made all the arrangements.

He studied the paper, and I assumed he was looking for the date or something showing that what she said was true. "I still say this is bullshit, Vic. If you think you're getting anything from me, you'd better think again." I snorted, then coughed to try to cover it. This jerk apparently had all the money he needed, and he was going to balk at paying child support?

"Please, just think of what your father would have wanted. He would have wanted you to take care of me… of _both _of us_,_" she said tearfully, moving her hands to her stomach.

"Yeah, well, luckily my father didn't live long enough to learn what a lying, gold-digging tramp you are. So what he would have wanted doesn't really count," Edward retorted, eyes flashing.

I had all but given up my pretense of taking pictures, which was probably a good thing since I was shaking with rage and the photos wouldn't have turned out anyway. I could hardly believe what I was hearing - that poor woman! The smartass, carefree Edward Cullen I first met had been replaced by a cold, hard bastard who was apparently shaping up to be a deadbeat dad as well.

Victoria regained her composure. "Edward, all I'm asking for right now is what we discussed the other night – consider it child support. If we have to go to court on this, it could get much, much worse for you. I've spoken with my lawyer, and the child would be entitled to half of everything."

That didn't make much sense to me, but I guess I didn't know how child support worked for rich people. Besides, it was hard to concentrate when I was shaking with anger, struggling to hold myself back from giving Edward Cullen a piece of my mind.

"And as I told you the other night, get the FUCK off my property, Victoria. And don't come back." Edward pointed at her car and glared at her as she moved towards it.

"I guess you'll be hearing from my lawyer, then," Victoria said calmly.

"Bring it on. I look forward to destroying your trashy ass in court," he taunted. She got in the car without another word, and Edward stared after her as she drove away. He shocked me again by spitting on the ground where she'd been standing. "Stupid whore!" he muttered, just loud enough for me to hear. My rage flared at his insult - if that was how he referred to the mother of his child, I guessed I should be glad he had stopped at calling me a stripper.

He stormed across the yard and kicked an end table several feet, then forcefully threw a lamp at the large oak tree. Luckily (or not) it was plastic, so it bounced off without a satisfying shatter. His eyes roamed the yard for his next target when they suddenly fell on me. He jumped back, startled, like he was surprised to find me still there.

I raised my camera to take one last picture – I was pretty sure I had been caught listening in, but I was determined to keep up my ruse if at all possible, and it gave me a few moments to collect myself. As the product of an unplanned pregnancy myself, I remained completely appalled at Edward's reaction to his impending fatherhood, but since I couldn't exactly tell him what I really thought of him I redirected my ire towards his ugly front lawn. I straightened up to my entire five-foot six inches and got my lecture face on.

"Mr. Cullen, I believe I have all the documentation I need here. It is clear that you have blatantly ignored a citation from the city and have no intention of cleaning up this disaster. Your house is in violation of the Seattle City Code, and since you refuse to correct the citation you will receive a fine. If you choose to contest the fine, you will be given a date and time to appear in court to plead your case. All pertinent information will be included in a letter, which you should receive within five days," I said in my best coldly professional voice.

Edward just looked at me, speechless for once. He shook his head slowly, like he was trying to clear out the cobwebs and get back to his wittily irritating self, but he still didn't speak.

"Also, Mr. Cullen, I want to mention that since this is an especially egregious and purposeful violation, it is highly unlikely that a judge will have any sympathy. My personal opinion is that you need to grow the hell up, stop playing games, and clean up your yard." I gulped and said my final required line, "Do you have any questions for me?"

Edward still looked shell-shocked. "How much of that did you hear?"

I decided that playing dumb was my best bet. "I'm not sure what you mean, Mr. Cullen. I was simply documenting the trash on your lawn, as required by my report. I absolutely did not overhear you acting like a complete asshole to that poor woman," I said matter-of-factly. Oops. I guess that wasn't quite playing dumb, but I couldn't resist slipping a comment in there.

"Wait, what? You're not allowed to say shit like that. You don't know the half of what's going on! She's completely crazy, and…"

I took an absurd amount of pleasure in being the one to interrupt _him_ this time. "Mr. Cullen, I came here today to see if you have complied with the requirements of your city citation. Since it is clear you have not and do not intend to cooperate, I must be going. You should receive your letter with a notification of your fine very shortly. Good day." I spun on my heel and started towards my car.

"Wait, will you at least… you have to take my documentation of my art stuff, please?" He looked good and flustered himself this time.

"No, Mr. Cullen, I can't accept any evidence of your counterargument now. You may present it in court if you choose," I said as I got into my car and slammed the door with satisfying finality.

He hung his head in defeat as I drove away, and while I was still incredibly upset about how terribly Edward reacted to fatherhood, I got some satisfaction that this time I'd gotten upper hand. Any attraction I'd felt to his physical appearance had gone right out the window with the way he'd treated his ex-girlfriend and unborn child - all I could think was how wasteful it was that such good looks belonged to such a total ass.

Once I pulled my city sedan into its designated parking space, I gathered my things and went straight for my desk to do my paperwork. I was embarrassed to find that I could barely remember the other inspections I had been on that day, since my thoughts had all been focused on seeing Edward Cullen again. Luckily, I had taken good notes and some photos, so I forced myself to write up my reports in order and save Mr. Cullen for last.

I looked up the fine schedule for that section of the code, and saw that I could assign between $250-$750 depending on the severity of the infraction. I opted for the highest possible fine but made a mental note to check with Jacob to make sure that fit with departmental policy. Even $750 seemed like it wouldn't be that big of a deal for Mr. Cullen, but you never knew what could motivate people. Plus, the city could always use the money, right?

After wrapping up my report and getting the violation letter ready, I stopped by Jacob's office and knocked on the open door. "Hey boss, do you have a minute?"

"For you, Bella? Of course. I'm glad you stopped by – how did it go at Cullen's today?"

I sighed. "Not as well as I'd hoped. He didn't remove the junk, he just rearranged it. He said it was artwork now, I think he called it 'found objects' or something. He wrote up a whole artist's statement..." I shook my head at the absurdity. "Anyway, his point was that he had a right to have it there, since it was 'art'. I took pictures, it still looked terrible." I passed him the stack of photos I'd printed.

Jacob chuckled as he flipped through the prints. "Well, that's as good a defense as I've ever heard, I guess. The judge won't buy it, though – it would set too much of a precedent. At the very least, with that much 'art' he would have to apply for a use permit to change the zoning to accommodate a sculpture garden, and there's no way in hell he'd get a permit."

Buoyed by the fact that Jacob supported my conclusions, I continued. "I thought given the amount of trash and the blatant nature of the violation, we should issue the maximum fine. Is that what you would do?"

"Yeah, I agree. Go ahead with that." Jacob nodded absentmindedly. "Listen, Bella, I'm totally behind you on this, so let's get Mr. Cullen's court date in as quickly as we can, OK?"

"Sure, Jacob, I understand. I'll let you know as soon as he files an appeal," I said and stood to leave.

"Thanks. And Bella? You're doing a great job." My boss smiled.

I grinned back and nodded, heading straight for my desk to finalize the report and print the letter, avoiding the curious glances from the guys.

I finished up quickly, gathering my stuff to leave for the day. I waved to the guys and said goodnight, but offered no other details about my day. It was strangely satisfying to leave more confused men in my wake, and I smiled again as I walked out the door.

My smile lasted all the way until I reached home and met up with Alice. She had picked up Chinese food for dinner, and had a grin that lit up her whole face.

"Are you ready, Bella? Tonight's the night – we're heading to the Twilight Club to get a piece of hottie computer programmer action! Check out your awesome dress!" Alice held out a hanger with what would have been a simple silver sheath before she added her special touch. The numbers of Pi were now painted all over the dress in spiraling swirls of black paint. I was going to look like a mathematician's wet dream, which I guessed was the point.

I sighed and held out my hand for the hanger. At least a night out would take my mind off Edward Cullen, the asshole extraordinaire. And if I met someone else, all the better. "All right, hon. Let's go snag ourselves some sexy geek ass."

* * *

><p><strong>And the endnotes – <strong>

**This story is completely written, and updates will post weekly on Wednesday mornings. Chapters will alternate POV, but will not repeat events. Next week, Edward's got a plan for revenge…**

**I'm mamabean30 on Twitter if you want to say hi – I'm kind of new over there, and I love meeting new people.**

**Thank you so much for reading! Your reviews, favorites, and alerts make my phone buzz and keep me smiling all day long. I'd love to hear what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm completely blown away by the response to this story so far – thanks so much to everyone for reading and reviewing!**

**I have a wonderful group of pre-readers to whom I owe infinite thanks for their help and support: BookishQua, Jillian Landers, and Twilover76 all helped make this chapter better. A huge thank-you also goes to Detochkina for the beta work, especially for helping me curb my "as" addiction. Thank you all so much! They're all amazing authors themselves, so if you haven't read their work – go check it out!**

**Speaking in Code now has a lovely banner, thanks to misforMarisa - the link is on my profile. She does great work!  
><strong>

**As per usual, SM owns all.**

* * *

><p><em>Edward<em>

_._

I watched Inspector Swan's car drive off, still feeling like my head was full of lint. I was generally a quick-thinking guy, but it seemed like Victoria had sucked all the wit right out of my brain. Maybe she was some sort of evil brain-eating zombie vampire hybrid. That revelation actually wouldn't have surprised me as much as the bomb she'd dropped on me instead. Moving the mannequin's legs aside, I sat on the uncomfortable couch to collect my thoughts.

"So, that went well, huh?" I addressed the mannequin, who regarded me impassively with her sightless blank eyes. "No? You don't think so? I guess you're right, that was pretty fucked up."

I shuddered at the thought of Victoria actually being pregnant. She couldn't be, I just refused to believe it. Besides the horror of imagining her as a mother figure, it meant she could get half of my father's estate for the little bugger. Maybe I'd have to read over the will again...

As I pondered further, I realized it would be really nice to have another living relative, even if the poor kid's genes were half evil zombie vampire. Maybe she'd give me custody if I paid her off, since I couldn't imagine she'd want a child hanging around. It might be fun to have a kid in the house, and I could always hire a nanny to help me with the shit I didn't know how to do. Like diapers, and food, and what toys to get, what to dress it in… and pretty much everything, to be honest. I didn't know much about babies, but there had to be books, and stuff on the internet that could tell me what to do.

I made myself stop picturing how cute my baby sibling could be, since its existence depended on if Victoria was telling the truth or not, and I was willing to bet she was lying. The problem was, I didn't know shit about pregnancy either (aside from how to prevent it) so I had no idea if she could really have not known until now.

I needed a goddamn woman to talk to - too bad Inspector Swan had left in such a hurry. My brain jumped to how cold she had looked when she got in her car and left. She gave me a fucking lecture, too, like I was five years old. Victoria had thrown my brain into a spin cycle, and Inspector Swan had certainly taken advantage. It pissed me off that I had just let her talk to me that way with no snappy comeback - she thought she was so smart with her clipboard and her stupid camera pretending to take pictures.

My leg bounced with agitation as I pondered what to do. Since I didn't want to think about Victoria quite yet, I decided to start by finding a way to pay the Inspector back for her arrogant lecture. After a few minutes, my spirits lifted when a devious plan popped into my mind. One of the file clerks at the city office was the little brother of my poker buddy Sam's girlfriend Leah. I knew it was a roundabout connection, but maybe it could get me an introduction and quick access to the data I needed. It was all public information, but general requests took several weeks and I didn't want to wait that long.

I pulled out my phone and dialed up Sam. "Hey buddy, what's up? I've got a question for you…"

~~~~SiC~~~~

After my connection was made and my errand was successful, I was sitting at the kitchen table laying out my plans for the next day when Jasper got home.

"What's up, man? How'd it go with the lovely inspector today? Did you get her number?" he asked with a teasing glint in his eye.

"I don't know what you're talking about, dude. How did you even know she was coming today?" I'd put the inspection notice up on the fridge to remind myself, but Jazz usually didn't pay attention to shit like that. It was like he had a blinder for important paperwork – if he ignored it, it would go away and he could just continue his happy little life.

Jasper laughed. "You wore your favorite shirt today, and you fussed with your damn hair for like an hour. You don't even do that when you're getting ready for a date!" He snickered and elbowed me. Fucker.

"Yeah, and you noticed all that shit, so what does that make you?" I said grumpily.

"It makes me awesomely observant, my friend." Jasper pulled a beer from the fridge and cracked the top. "So, are you going to leave me in suspense? What happened?"

I groaned. "Where do I start? She was looking at my art, and then that crazy whore Victoria showed up." I sighed again. In my excitement over enacting my new plan to get revenge on Bella Swan, Victoria's news had gone to the back burner, but it all came rushing back. "Vic says she's knocked up, and it's my dad's."

Jasper's eyes got wide and he choked on his sip of beer. "What the fuck?" he finally coughed out. "Is she for real? Your dad's been gone for months now!"

"Yeah, she says she was so overcome by grief that she didn't realize it until now. I think it's bullshit, but she had an ultrasound picture and everything. I don't know, Jazz, do you think it's really possible?"

"Who the hell knows? Hey, there's that program on the Discovery Channel where people don't know they're pregnant until the kid pops out, right?"

"Yeah, we should check out the show, see if that shit actually happens."

Jazz went to the TV room to set up a recording before we forgot about it, while I grabbed a beer for myself and looked through our sizable stack of delivery menus to decide what to get for dinner. Neither Jazz or I could cook worth a damn, so we pretty much lived off of take-out and frozen dinners.

"Italian OK tonight?" I said, in the mood for some comfort food after my ridiculous day.

Jazz shrugged and nodded, and then perked up. "Do they have lasagna? I read a fucking Garfield comic book this morning and I've been craving lasagna all day long."

I rolled my eyes. Jazz liked to hang out in a bookstore that had a coffee shop and recording studio attached, since he met a lot of fellow musicians there. He often ended up getting pulled into jam sessions and hearing about open mike nights, which were his main ways of getting his music out there. The unfortunate side effect was that he spent a lot of time reading cartoon books while he waited around.

The restaurant did have lasagna, so I called and ordered dinner as Jazz did a fist pump in celebration. We got settled and flipped on the Mariners game while we waited for our food, but Jazz turned the sound down almost immediately. "So, you never told me - what happened with the hot building inspector? Did she buy the bogus art story? By the way, in case I didn't tell you before, that was some of your best bullshitting ever. Really excellent work."

I smiled in thanks. "No, she didn't buy it, but that's okay. She's going to send me a letter with a fine, and then I can file to contest that in court. That's where I'll present my art defense and rock the judge's world." I sighed heavily. "The good inspector was there when Victoria came, though, and she was taking her pictures and shit while Vic was dropping her news on me."

"Did she hear about your impending possible sibling?" Jazz stroked his chin like he had a fucking goatee or something.

"I'm not sure – she was taking pictures and stuff, but I'm pretty sure she heard some of it. She called me an asshole at the end and gave me a huge lecture about growing up and cleaning up the yard like I was five years old. And since Victoria pretty much shocked the hell out of me, all I could do was sit there like an idiot. That pissed me off, man."

He nodded, agreeing. "So, what are you going to do?"

"That's the beauty of it, buddy. This Swan woman thinks she's so smart – I'm going to take her down a few." I explained my plan to Jasper, and he grinned widely.

"But wait, I thought you had some kind of crush on her. Won't she be super-ticked if you go through with this? Don't get me wrong, it's awesome, but she's totally going to think you're a dick," he warned.

I shrugged. "Eh, there are other women out there." I felt a strange pain in my gut when I realized that Inspector Swan definitely wouldn't want to go out for a drink after this. But I shook it off. I barely knew her, and there _were_ other women out there. None who had captured my interest so greatly, but I'd never let that keep me from doing whatever I wanted before.

Conveniently, the doorbell rang and shook me from my thoughts. I went to pay the delivery man and collect our lasagna, and soon Jasper and I were stuffing our faces with Italian goodness and watching the Mariners lose, with no further conversation.

~~~~SiC~~~~~

Although I'd stayed up quite late the night before preparing paperwork, I woke early the next morning, excited and ready to enact my plan. When I got an new idea, I became singularly focused on accomplishing my mission, and this time was no different. I'd worked for two days straight on the sculpture garden, rearranging the pieces and writing up the artist's statement. That drive and persistence had come from my dad… even though he'd obviously put it to more constructive use.

My chat with Seth had revealed that all the inspectors had to be back early on Friday afternoons for a staff meeting, which ended at 2:00 PM. I wanted to time my arrival at City Hall while all the inspectors were around for maximum impact, but I had several stops to make that morning and it was unclear how long they would each take. The scrambled egg bowl I'd nuked for my breakfast soon disappeared with the rest of my coffee, and I ran upstairs to get ready.

I took my time choosing my clothes, since my mission required me to present a very specific image. I needed to look professional and trustworthy, but still accessible. I put on some classic tan khakis and a blue button down shirt, then chose a dark striped tie. Looking in the mirror, I moved the tie in front of the shirt and took it away several times before finally deciding to go without. Twenty minutes was more time than I cared to spend on my outfit, but at least I had resisted going down the hall to wake up Jasper for his opinion.

Gathering my paperwork into my black leather messenger bag, I pondered the next question – which vehicle to drive? Most days I drove my old rusty red truck, which didn't go much above 50 miles per hour but was great for picking up free stuff on the curb. My other car was inherited from my dad, a beautiful Aston Martin Vanquish. Where my truck was too informal for today's work, the Vanquish screamed 'rich kid' and might also send the wrong message.

In the end, I decided to go with the Aston Martin, and after double checking that I had everything I needed for the day I walked out the door whistling a happy tune. Making trouble always improved my mood.

~~~~SiC~~~~~

Hours later, I had five signed documents in my bag, and I was quite pleased with my work for the day. I pulled into the City Hall parking garage and checked my watch – 2:05 P.M. Perfect. I strolled into the office like I owned the place and waited my turn at the counter as I took in the scene. Behind the clerks were open doors into the large room where the inspectors had their desks, and I stretched and craned my neck to find Inspector Swan. Somehow I had to attract her attention, since this would be much more fun if she saw what was going on.

Finally, I caught a glimpse of long wavy brown hair and a sexy-as-hell ass in a tan skirt. I coughed loudly to cover my groan at the view of Inspector Swan from behind, and as luck would have it she looked my way. I gave her little wave and winked, but she just rolled her eyes and sat back down at her desk. Fortune was with me - her desk was the one closest to the door, and would be within earshot of the service counter if I spoke loudly.

The file clerk had a name tag identifying her as 'Jessica' and as she called my number I flashed a winning smile.

"Good afternoon, Jessica. How are you this lovely day?" I asked, louder than I needed to. I heard a huff and a chair rolling around from just inside the door, so I assumed my favorite eavesdropper was doing what she did best.

Jessica giggled a bit and batted her eyelashes at me. "Great, sir, thank you! How about you? What can I do for you today?" she asked with a suggestive raise of her eyebrow.

Shit, this girl was sort of cute, but I just wasn't interested. What was wrong with me? I shook my head to refocus and continued speaking loudly, "I'm here to file a motion to contest the citation on my house. I think the inspector was biased and hasty in her assessment, not to mention completely incompetent, and I'd like to appeal."

I heard what I assumed was a snort of disbelief come from the back room, and I chuckled as I pulled out my file. "I have all the paperwork ready, and I'd like to get a court date assigned as soon as possible so I can put this matter behind me and continue with my creative expression."

Jessica smiled and giggled some more. "Oh? What kind of creative expression are you talking about?"

I smiled back and made myself eye her flirtatiously. "I'm a sculptor, actually."

I heard another snort and some banging come from the back, and it sounded like Bella muttered, "Sculptor, my ass…" I allowed myself a few moments of visualizing what it would be like to actually sculpt Bella's ass, mostly consisting of the research I would have to do to get the curves just right. Unfortunately, Jessica woke me from my daydream like a screeching alarm clock.

"Oooh, that's so cool!" she squealed. "What kinds of things do you sculpt?"

"Mostly found object sculptures that reflect my view of society, but lately I'm getting more interested in the female form." I channeled my old self, suave and charming, as I looked Jessica up and down. The words came back easily, but I was surprised by how wrong they felt, like riding a bicycle I'd since outgrown.

"Wow, you know, some of my friends tell me I should be a model. If you're ever looking for one, I mean… it could be fun to try it out." Jessica stuck out her ample chest and gave me an alluring smile. Too bad I wasn't lured.

People in line behind me were starting to give me dirty looks, and I could almost hear them thinking 'get laid on your own time, man.' The looks would only get worse as I pulled out the rest of my paperwork, so I got back to business. "Thanks, um, I'll keep that in mind. Anyway, my appeal?"

"Oh, yeah, right!" Jessica stamped my papers with the date and wrote some numbers and letters I didn't understand, but I hoped they meant something to her. "You should be notified by mail of your court date in a few days." She paused. "Is there anything else I can do?"

"Actually, there is." I pulled out the rest of my files. "I'm an attorney, and I have some paperwork to file on behalf of some clients as well." I listened carefully for any reaction from the next room, but nothing happened. Either Bella had stopped listening, or… no, I was pretty sure she was still listening.

"Really? You're a lawyer _and_ a sculptor? Wow," Jessica marveled.

"Yeah, well, sculpting is more of a hobby," I explained with a smirk. So was practicing law, but Jessica didn't need to know that. "I've got five different clients to file paperwork for, so what's the best way to do this?" I strained my ears and I swore I heard creaking, like my beautiful eavesdropper might be leaning back in her chair trying to hear me better.

"Let's just go one at a time, and we'll make stacks to keep them all separate." Jessica winked conspiratorially and cleared some space on the counter. Thankfully, she motioned for one of the other file clerks to come up and continue helping the other customers. I was pretty sure that looks couldn't kill, but it wouldn't hurt to get the disgruntled line behind me moving again.

Once Jessica was ready, I got out my first folder. "First, I'm filing an appeal for Sue Clearwater. She was issued a citation for peeling paint, and we contest the inspector's findings." I brought out the forms I had convinced Ms. Clearwater to sign that morning, and as Jessica began to stamp the paperwork and write her notes, I heard a loud crash as Bella's brown hair and half of her upper body appeared on the floor in the doorway.

She turned beet red but scrambled to her feet quickly and turned around to right the chair that had tipped over in her efforts to hear me better. I watched closely, but she didn't come back out, and Jessica peeked around the doorway. "Oh my God, Bella, are you OK?"

Bella muttered something in response, and Jessica asked her if she was sure before coming back out to the counter.

"Sorry about that, that was weird," she whispered and shrugged as she turned back to my stacks of paper.

"Oh, no problem at all. Is that all you need from me for this one?" I smiled.

Jessica flipped through the papers one last time. "Yep, that looks good. What's next?"

"Next, I have an appeal to file for my client Greg Banner. He was cited for a storage shed he built without a variance, and it's too close to the property line. I have his appeal paperwork, and also a request for the city's survey on which they based the citation."

The top of Bella's head came out from behind the wall, and slowly her eyes peeked out. I gave her another wink, and she vanished behind the wall again as I chuckled to myself.

Jessica did her stamping and writing on Mr. Banner's forms and put them in a separate stack, before turning to me with a smile. "What's next?"

"Next I'm filing an appeal on behalf of my clients Norman and Shelley Cope. They were cited for overgrown trees on their property that the City claims are blocking sidewalk access. I have here…" I trailed off as Bella appeared in the doorway and stormed to the counter, sporting an angry look that didn't suit her beautiful face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Bella hissed, clearly trying not to attract attention.

I smiled innocently and spoke at my normal volume. "I'm not sure what you mean, Inspector Swan. I'm just here filing some paperwork on behalf of my clients."

"You know what I mean!" she whisper-yelled her reply. "These are all people I've issued citations to!"

"Really?" I scratched my head in mock confusion. "That's quite a coincidence. Are you sure? And how do you know who my clients are? Have you been listening in to my private conversation with lovely Jessica here?" I gestured at the clerk, who grinned and batted her eyes at the mention of her name. I wished again that I could be interested in her since she seemed so obliging, but it just wasn't happening.

"What are you trying to do, scare me? Threaten me, so I'll drop the citation on your property?" she spat out, her face growing red.

"All I'm trying to do is represent my clients, Ms. Swan," I lied. "I think you may have a bit of an ego problem… it's not like the whole world revolves around you, right?"

She gave me a blistering look that almost had me cringing, but then she huffed and straightened her shoulders while she closed her eyes for a moment. It looked like she was trying to regain her composure, which was too bad – I really wanted to hear what she would have said before she censored herself.

Without another word, she turned around and headed back towards her desk. I shrugged my shoulders at Jessica and got out the next file.

"Sorry about that, she's kind of new…" Jessica leaned closer to me to whisper conspiratorially. "She's a little strange."

"Oh, no problem." I waved my hand in dismissal as Jessica got busy stamping my next client's paperwork, even though irrational anger rose up in me at the way she dismissed Inspector Swan. Bella Swan wasn't _strange_, she was gorgeous and quick-witted and so much fun to torment, which was the whole reason I was here. So why should I care what Jessica thought of her?

I pondered this thought in the back of my brain as I submitted the paperwork for the last three clients without further interruption. I requested court dates on the same day if possible, so I only had to make one trip, and the overly helpful Jessica said she'd see what she could do.

I'd been at the counter for so long that the line had dwindled to nothing, and I made small talk with Jessica while hoping that Bella would make another appearance. The clerk was more than happy to indulge my loitering at her station, and I was only half paying attention to her chatter when I thought I heard sniffling coming from Bella's desk. Shit, was she crying? I didn't mean to make her cry. Despite twisting my neck at an odd angle, I just couldn't see her.

"So what do you think, does that sound good?" Jessica asked with a smile.

"Um, sure. Wait, what?" I was confused, and wished Jessica would just shut up so I could hear if Bella was really upset.

"Hey, are you off in space?" Jessica hit me playfully as I mentally cringed away. "I asked if you wanted to go get a drink. I get off in a few minutes…" She took in my less than enthusiastic expression and trailed off.

"Oh, yeah, thanks, but no… I have somewhere I have to be… that's not here. Uh, see you around." I barely spared her a glance as I hurried out the door. I felt like kind of a douche after I flirted with her for so long, but I just wasn't interested.

Walking to my car, I was uncharacteristically disgruntled, and also confused. Usually I was at my happiest after finishing something I'd been so obsessed with, but not today. Maybe I was coming down with something. I cruised around in the Vanquish for a while, thinking that a mindless drive by the beach would make me feel better, but eventually I gave up and headed home.

Thoroughly depressed, I steered into the garage and slumped into the house to find Jasper and Emmett locked in an epic Halo battle. They barely looked up as I collapsed into the open chair and sighed heavily. When they showed no signs of pausing the game, I sighed louder, and my dramatic exhale was strong enough to blow some junk mail off the coffee table in front of me.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Jasper said, his eyes still focused on the gigantic flatscreen where he was in hot pursuit of Emmett.

I sighed again. Sighing was my new favorite thing, apparently. "Well, I just got done at the city office, and…"

"BASTARD! MOTHERFUCKER!" Emmett yelled as Jasper shot him dead.

Jasper leaned back in his recliner with a slow grin. "What can I say, I'm just awesome at this. I know I make it look easy, but trust me, it's a lot of hard work being this cool," he joked, dodging Emmett's punch in the arm.

"Oh, it's ON now. You are toast, my friend. Worse than toast, you're the little black edges of a burnt piece of toast," Emmett promised, his controller ready for the next round.

They both seemed to have forgotten about the sighing lump of despondency I'd become, and quickly got absorbed in their game again. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want in?" Jasper said, pausing the game and offering me the third controller.

I bit back another sigh because I didn't want to seem too emo. "No, I don't really feel like it right now," I said glumly.

Jasper looked straight at me for the first time, "Dude, what happened? You look like someone ran over your ugliest lamp! Did you lose the court case already?"

Finally someone was paying attention, although Emmett's finger was hovering over the 'pause' button ready to resume the game. "Emmett, can you knock it off with the game for one fucking minute?" I grumbled.

He put his controller down and lifted his hands in the air in surrender. "Fine, fine – jeez! You have my undivided attention, dude. Are you happy?"

I rolled my eyes at him but started speaking anyway, "I just got back from the city office, where I filed all my paperwork."

Jasper's eyes flashed in recognition. "Yeah right, the plan! That was brilliant, bro. How did it go?"

"Wait, wait, what plan?" Emmett interrupted.

Jasper turned to Emmett excitedly. "Edward was really pissed at that hot inspector chick, because she gave him a lecture about growing the fuck up. So he tracked down all the other citations she issued since she's been on the job, and he went to all those people today and told them he'd contest their citations and be their lawyer pro boner."

I smacked him on the shoulder. "Pro bono, dickwad."

Jasper grinned and, just to annoy me, he started speaking in his overblown southern drawl. "So anyhow, he moseyed on down to the city office today to file his highfalutin lawsuits, and he was hoping that little miss know-it-all would be there to see. So was she?" he asked.

"Yeah, but…"

Emmett interrupted again, "You really did that? That's the most fantastically dickish move I've ever heard! Tracking down all those people… that's like going the extra-dick mile. High five, dude!" He held up his palm, but I left him hanging.

"She was there, and she was super pissed, but then she just left. And… I thought I heard her crying," I said sheepishly. I didn't want to care about Bella's tears, and I didn't want the guys to know that I cared, but I did.

Emmett looked at me disbelievingly. "Well of course she cried. I feel kinda bad for her, actually. I think it sucks for her working with all those guys all the time, and they're like old school good ol' boys, you know? Rosie had a really tough time at the garage, especially at first." Emmett's fiancée was a mechanic – another occupation traditionally dominated by men. "She came home in tears once or twice, and it was all I could do to not go down there and kick those guys' asses." He started, as if just thinking of something. "Do you need us to stick close or anything? Does this chick have a boyfriend or husband you need to worry about?"

Something inside me got really angry at the thought of Bella with a boyfriend. "I don't know. She's really pretty and smart, though – I'd be surprised if she was single."

Emmett and Jasper looked at me in surprise but didn't comment. "So, what's the problem, man?" my roommate asked.

"I don't know. I mean, I got her back for what she said, but now I just feel like shit. Maybe I need a night out or something to cheer me up."

Jasper nodded, obviously thinking about his words carefully. "Sure, man, you've got a lot of other stuff going on with Vicki's news, and court coming up… let's do it. Em, are you in?"

Emmett put down the controller that his fidgeting hands had picked up again. "Nope, not going out tonight. I've got to get home to Rosie… and let her look under my hood," he said, grinning broadly while waggling his eyebrows. Lucky bastard. "But aren't we at least going to finish this game?"

Feeling marginally better now that my mind was off Bella's tears, I picked up a controller at last. "You really think you can beat me? Bring it on."

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><p><strong>I'm mamabean30 on Twitter if you want to say hi – I'm kind of new over there, and I love meeting new people.<strong>

**Thank you for reading! Your reviews, favorites, and alerts make me so happy - I love hearing from you! Coming up next Wednesday, we'll see how Bella feels about Edward's devious plan…**


	5. Chapter 5

**What can I say – you all are amazing! Thank you so much for your feedback and comments. **

**As usual, thanks to my wonderful pre-readers BookishQua, Jillian Landers, and Twilover76. Thanks also to Detochkina for the beta work! They're all very talented authors, and I highly recommend their stories. **

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**SM owns all.**

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><p><em>Bella<em>

_._

After my confrontation with Edward, I sank into my desk chair in total shock. In the background, I could still hear him chatting and flirting with Jessica, but I couldn't focus enough to pay attention anymore. How could he do this? Somehow, since yesterday, he'd gotten the details of each citation I'd issued in the measly two weeks inspecting on my own, and he'd apparently convinced the homeowners to contest their violations in court. I was confident in my work, but I was still striving to establish my place here. This was one hell of a setback that I worried could cost me my job.

Closing my eyes, I put my fingers to my temples as hot angry tears stung the back of my eyelids. I willed them away and took deep breaths to calm myself down, but the panic welled up and a stray drop or two escaped anyway. It had taken me so long to find a job even remotely related to my degree, and I had rent to pay. Plus the mountains of student loan debt, my car payment and cell phone bill... not that Edward Cullen would care if I got fired and ended up out on the street. Maybe he'd let me sleep on one of the stupid broken couches in his front yard.

When I'd calmed down a little, I forced myself to think the situation through rationally. Everyone in the office knew what an asshole Edward Cullen was, and perhaps Jacob would understand that this mess wasn't my fault. The other guys might think it was funny that I was being harassed, but maybe I could hold on to my job.

My initial fear faded just a little, and angry confusion crept in. Why would he do something like this, and how had he accomplished it in twenty-four hours? He must have gotten the records from someone – all citations were public information, but the procedure to request them usually took a week or two. I really hoped one of the other inspectors hadn't sabotaged me by printing him the list, but I just couldn't be sure.

First, I decided, I needed to go inform Jacob of the situation and see where to go from there, but I didn't want to leave my desk until Mr. Cullen was gone. I could hear him making small talk with Jessica, and she was no doubt shoving her over-sized breasts in his face and flirting like mad. Maybe she was the one who had printed the list for him. It was unnerving to know there was someone in the office who had betrayed me, and I resolved to keep that between myself and Jacob until we found out more.

I listened in to Jessica droning on about some new bar she wanted to try, but Edward didn't seem to be picking up her hint. Grabbing a tissue, I wiped my eyes determinedly and decided to test if he was still paying attention to me. After glancing around to be sure my co-workers were all absorbed in their own tasks, I sniffed loudly. I tried my best to sound devastated, but held a tissue to my nose so that I could pass it off as a cold if anyone noticed. My sniffles turned to muffled laughter when I heard Jessica boldly invite Edward out for a drink only to realize he was clearly not listening.

When he made a hasty exit, I got up and peeked at the paperwork on the counter to confirm what I had already suspected – Edward had filed appeals to his own citation, plus the five others I had issued. I walked to Jacob's office and knocked lightly at the door. Just half an hour after our meeting let out, he was already in the middle of a stack of paperwork, but he smiled anyway and waved me in.

"Long time no see, Bella," he joked. "What's up?"

I tried to think of the best way to explain. "Um… I need to talk to you. Something happened." That probably wasn't it.

My boss managed to smile and look concerned at the same time. "Care to elaborate?"

"Well, Edward Cullen was just here to file his appeal." I paused, nervous.

Jacob nodded. "We were expecting that, right? Thanks for telling me, and let me know when you figure out the date of his hearing." He glanced back to his paperwork, assuming I was done talking.

I cleared my throat to get his attention again. "Um… that's not all. He appealed a few more cases, too," I said. I wasn't explaining myself well at all, and I begged my brain to put together the right words already.

"What other cases? Did you give him other citations?" Jacob looked confused.

"No, he… it seems he tracked down all the violations I issued, and convinced the people to appeal. I think he's acting as their attorney." Finally, I was making a little sense.

Jacob blinked at me a couple times before speaking. "What?" he questioned. Maybe I wasn't as coherent as I thought.

I tried again. "He… he found all my citations, and he filed…"

"I heard you, I just… wow, Bella. And you're sure it was only your citations he appealed?" I nodded, and he shook his head in dismay. "I didn't know he was such a bully, and I'm really sorry that you got mixed up in this." Jacob rubbed his hand over the pensive expression on his face. "Let's start by pulling out all your paperwork and looking it over one more time. I know I read them when you first issued them, and I'm positive they were solid, but it would be good to have them fresh in our memories when we get ready for court. Then I'll call the city attorney and see if we can file some kind of harassment suit – there's got to be something we can do to hit him back."

"I'm not in trouble?" Buoyed by Jacob's response, I was pretty sure... but I wanted to verify that I still had a job.

Jacob smiled ruefully. "Of course not, Bella. This isn't your fault, and it doesn't reflect on you negatively at all. In fact, it shows that you're doing a good job of staying persistent and following up to get Mr. Cullen to comply with the city code. Why don't you grab your cases and we'll look them over, and then I'll make an appointment with the city attorney next week to make sure we have our bases covered, okay?"

I nodded and turned to step back to my desk, but my boss's voice stopped me. "Wait, Bella – how did he know which citations you issued?"

"I'm not sure, I mean… someone must have printed him a list or something. One of them I had just written two days ago, so it couldn't have been a regular request." I shrugged, and silently thanked Jacob for picking up on this detail too.

His eyes narrowed. "We'll get to the bottom of that, too. I don't appreciate anyone letting Mr. Cullen get around city procedure to pull his little stunt."

I nodded again and headed to get my files with a small smile on my face. At least my boss was supportive and had a plan. I just had to get through this, and hopefully come out stronger on the other side.

~~~~SiC~~~~~

I drove home that evening, fighting the desire to make a quick stop at the grocery store and then go egg Edward Cullen's house. I did know where he lived, after all, but what stopped me is the fact that he would probably embrace the vandalism. Knowing him, he'd write a damn artist's statement about the beautiful way the yolk ran in scattered rivulets down the shutters.

Pulling into the garage, I was grateful to see that Alice's yellow Beetle wasn't in its spot. I needed a little time alone to decompress, and maybe scream and throw a few things. I hated being this angry, since I was generally an optimistic person, but the memory of Edward smirking at me as he filed his paperwork made me want to commit acts of violence.

I walked purposefully into the apartment and slammed the door behind me with a satisfying crash, then did it again as I entered my bedroom. I buried my face in my pillow and screamed as loud and long as I could, while punching a poor defenseless bolster that made the mistake of being in my way. Unfortunately, screaming into my pillow made me remember how long it had been since I'd had a more fun reason to muffle my sounds in bed. That reminded me of how I still inexplicably found Edward Cullen so physically attractive, which only made me angrier at him and at my damn hormones for being so drawn to the jerk.

My brain had run in so many circles that it was momentarily taking a breather, so I decided a drink or two was in order. I was pouring myself an obscenely large serving of wine when Alice skipped in the door.

"Bella! Guess where we're going tonight?" She took in my expression and the mega-sized glass in my hand and stopped short. "What happened?"

I felt weary at the thought of explaining this again, so I held up a finger for her to wait as I took a long drink of my chardonnay before speaking. "Edward fucking Cullen happened, that's what."

"What? I thought you told him off yesterday after your inspection. What did he do today?"

I broke out in nervous laughter, because it was either that or cry… or scream again. "He tracked down all the citations I've issued so far, and talked the homeowners into contesting their violations too. And he's acting as their attorney."

Alice's eyes opened wide in surprise, then narrowed in fierce anger. "Who the FUCK does he think he is? What an asshole - you must be so pissed!" Her face turned bright red, and it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine steam coming out her ears.

I toasted her with my huge goblet, and somehow managed to speak calmly. "Yes, yes I am. Hence the large dose of happy juice, and the throw pillow in my room that will be entering the witness protection program after I beat its ass good."

Alice was pacing quickly now, and it felt good to have her fuming on my behalf. "What happens now? Can he just get away with that?"

"Well, he technically didn't do anything illegal, so yeah. There's the matter of how he got his hands on a list of my citations so quickly, but it's all public information."

Alice ranted some more, but cheered up a bit when I told her that Jacob responded well and my job wasn't in danger. "Really, I think it will be okay, it's just a pain in the ass… like Mr. Cullen himself," I giggled, taking another sip of my wine.

Finally, my roommate was smiling again. "So what are you going to do to get him back?" she wondered with an evil smirk. "Do I sense a late-night toilet papering session coming on?"

I grinned, imagining exacting my revenge. "I thought about it, but he'd probably like it."

Alice laughed and nodded. "True, more garbage would just be frosting on the crazy-cake for him. Maybe you need to punish him with classiness, huh? Like get him his very own Greek statue for the yard, or hire a junk company to come clean up the front in the middle of the night."

"Oh, or we could always break in and put itching powder in his sheets, Kool-Aid in his showerhead, and Saran wrap on his toilet, right?" I laughed some more as I listed off the pranks we'd pulled in college.

Our revenge ideas got more outlandish, and soon we were clutching each other's arms and letting out the last of our anger through loud guffaws with tears streaming down our faces. Finally, after we settled down and Alice got a glass of water to settle her hiccups, she asked the question she'd started when she first came in the door. "So, do you want to go out? I know the geek club was a bust last night, but how could we have known that a Star Trek convention was in town? Tonight will be better - it is Friday, after all, and I wanted to go to that new bar downtown since they have live music and it's not such a club thing, you know? But I totally understand if you want to stay in, you've had a tough day. I do have another really hot dress for you, if you want to go out…"

I waved my arms to stop her rambling. "Yes, Ali, let's go out. I feel like letting off some stress." _And maybe finding someone to make me scream into my pillow_ I added silently.

"Yay, we're going to have so much fun!" cheered Alice as she bounced over to her studio to retrieve our dresses. Mine was a deep blue, draped and plunging low in both the front and the back. It was held together with a vertical row of silver rings that dipped almost to my navel, but at least the skirt came almost to my knees so I didn't feel exposed on both ends. For an Alice original, it actually looked pretty normal.

Alice's dress was black with the same little silver rings sewn everywhere, giving the otherwise simple dress a bit of a dominatrix feel. When she put it on and twirled around, the rings jangled against each other cheerfully. I briefly wondered where all the silver rings had come from – apparently she'd been shopping in the clearance bin at the craft store again.

My jubilant best friend looked me up and down before we walked out the door. "Bella, you look so hot in that dress, and the residual anger gives your cheeks great color!" We both laughed. "I have such a good feeling right now – you're going to meet an amazing specimen of man tonight, I just know it!" I smiled at her optimism but set my hopes a little lower. All I needed was a nice, semi-attractive guy who wasn't in the construction industry.

~~~~SiC~~~~~

When we arrived at the crowded bar the band was just heading onstage, which meant the crush of people was heading away from the bar area. Alice and I took advantage of the open stools to order our beers, and then stood at the back of the crowd for a few songs and danced casually.

Our first beers were almost empty when Alice tapped me on the shoulder and pulled my ear down to her face. "I have to pee already, dammit!"

"Don't break the seal now, you'll be peeing all night!" I teased her but gave her a playful shove towards the restroom. Luckily the line wasn't too long yet, so I offered to get us another round while she was otherwise occupied.

Waiting at the bar, I scanned the room for any cute, potentially single non-construction workers. There was a guy with longish dark hair pulled back in a ponytail at the end of the bar, and I tried to subtly check him out to see if I recognized him from a construction site. Nothing clicked, so I started sliding towards him just as a petite blond came up and put her arms around his waist. Well, crap. Good thing the night was still young.

I looked towards the bathroom but didn't see Alice - she had been gone a while, so the line must have been longer than it looked. Grabbing my beer and hers, I wandered in that direction to wait for her while still keeping an eye out for potential hook-ups, which made me feel a little like a crazy cougar. Settling into a corner for a better view, I suddenly found myself next to a couple kissing passionately. I was about to move away to give them some privacy when I recognized the silver hoops on the girl's dress. "Um… Alice? Is that you?"

Alice tore her lips away from a familiar looking man with an unruly shag of blond hair. "Bella! I'm so glad you're here! Look who I found!" She was practically vibrating with excitement, which seemed to be just fine with her male companion since her boot-clad legs were still around his waist.

The man glanced at me quickly at first, but then gave me a longer look as a bright smile crossed his face. "Why, Inspector Swan, how lovely to see you again!" he said in a perfect Southern drawl.

Oh, shit. It was… "Jasper, right?" I said, trying to return his smile.

Alice looked back and forth between us. "You two know each other? And when the hell did you get a southern accent, Jazz?"

Jasper looked a little embarrassed. "I don't know, it's just something I do sometimes, to be funny."

Alice gave him a weird look but continued babbling. "Jazz and I were totally in love in high school, Bella, but we had this big dramatic breakup and lost touch when he went to school across the country. He was always the one that got away, and now here he is, living in Seattle! Isn't this great?"

"Yeah, it's great that you can get… reacquainted." I raised my eyebrows at her. Alice looked so happy, I hated to bring her down, but she'd eventually have to learn where I'd encountered her make-out partner before. "I actually met Jasper because he lives with Edward Cullen."

In a flash, Alice jumped down from her perch on Jasper's waist. Her expression turned to a murderous glare so fast that her nose may have gotten whiplash. "What? You live with that asshole?" she yelled, attracting a few glances.

"Um… yeah, he's actually why I moved here. We met in college, and… baby, what's wrong?" Jasper asked, as Alice's eyes narrowed further.

"Do you know what that fuckwad piece of trash Edward Cullen did to my best friend?" she questioned, gesturing angrily at me.

Jasper looked panicked for a moment until realization hit him. "Oh, the appeal thing. You're still mad at him for that?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but Alice beat me to it, "Are we still MAD? Are you fucking kidding me? Your friend tries to ruin her career and singles her out to humiliate in front of the whole office, and you! You have the nerve to ask if we're mad?" She pointed her finger at his chest for emphasis. "My friend, you're not very bright. What happened to all your brain cells? You used to be so smart!" she wailed mournfully, shaking her head.

Jasper rubbed her arm, trying to calm her down. "I understand that Bella's upset, sweetheart, but it was just a joke, and-"

She shrugged off his caress and continued angrily. "Yeah, well, your friend should think about how his jokes affect other people before he gets his jollies. Leaving ridiculous broke-ass furniture in your yard is one thing, but this is Bella's job, and he totally -"

"Woah, woah," I broke in. "Do I get a say in this?"

They both looked at me in surprise. "Um, of course," Alice said hesitantly.

"Look, I just… I think it's great that you two are both in Seattle and you both seem to be single…" I looked quickly at Jasper who was nodding emphatically to confirm his bachelor status. "You should get reacquainted, and I don't want what Edward Cullen did to me today to affect anyone having a good time tonight."

"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear you say that," said a smooth voice from behind me.

I froze. It couldn't be… but with Jasper here, it was very likely. I turned around to see a muscular chest under a dark green t-shirt with a deep v-neck. Looking up, the now familiar bright green eyes twinkled at me mischievously, but there was a hint of apprehension showing in them too. I met his stare with my own eyes steel-cold, emboldened by my blossoming anger as well as the drinks I'd consumed.

Edward chuckled nervously. "So Jazz, who's your friend?"

Jasper snuck his arm back around Alice, who glared at him briefly but then snuggled into his embrace. "This is Alice, remember, I've told you about her? We dated in high school, and -"

Alice smacked him on the chest and interrupted, "We were _in_ _love_ in high school, douche. At least you said you loved me." She pouted jokingly.

"I did, and I still… honestly, I never stopped thinking about you, Alice. I'm so damn glad I ran into you tonight," Jasper said as he stared at her with adoration.

Alice smiled softly at him. "Me too," she whispered as she leaned in for a kiss. It started tamely enough, but soon got out of hand and Edward and I were left with our eyes awkwardly roaming to avoid intruding on their affectionate display. I used the opportunity to check him out a little more – besides the fitted green t-shirt that made his eyes emerald bright, he was wearing dark wash jeans that I was sure made his ass look fantastic.

I was willing him with my mind to turn around so I could get a glimpse, when he startled me from my wishful thinking. "Um… I don't know if you ladies are sitting anywhere, but Jazz knows the band so we have a pretty nice table up front. Would you care to join us?" Edward asked politely. I waited for a sarcastic remark or some kind of insult, but it didn't come.

Alice stopped mooning at Jasper long enough to have a moment of silent communication with me. _I know this sucks for you, but I'm really REALLY excited about this guy… pleasepleaseplease?_

I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head slightly, sending my own message back. _I can't sit with this guy, sorry. But you go ahead._

She gave me a stern look, eyebrows furrowed. _Like I'd abandon you like that. _

The guys were staring at us in confusion, but Alice turned to Edward. "Thanks, but we can't, seeing as how you're suing my best friend and all. Kinda puts a damper on the mood," she said haughtily.

He held up his hands in surrender and moved back a step. "I'm not suing her, I'm contesting citations... but whatever, I was just asking. Jazz, should we go sit down? I think the next set is starting soon."

Jasper looked helplessly at Alice's smiling face, then down at their joined hands. "Where are you going to sit, baby?"

"I'm not sure, I guess." She shrugged, returning his wistful stare. "We had stools over at the bar, maybe we'll head back there."

Edward sighed heavily. "Oh, for the love of God. Clearly _I'm _ the problem, so I'll move. You ladies can sit with Jasper at the table. Assuming he's not guilty by association?"

Alice looked at me for a decision. "Yeah, I guess. He's not named on the citation, so..." I wasn't sure of the exact rules, although I was pretty sure this was fine. I made a mental note to check on Monday, but doubted there was a regulation that read 'in case your roommate wants to date the roommate of an asshole attorney with a pending case.'

"All right. Well, you all have a lovely time," Edward said. "I'm going to get another drink, can I get a round for anyone else?" Jasper nodded, but Alice and I shook our heads. Even if our beers weren't nearly full, there was no way in hell I'd let Edward Cullen buy me a drink after that stunt today. He disappeared to the bar, and Jasper turned to lead us to the table - which really did have a great view of the stage

After a few moments of sitting there awkwardly while Jasper and Alice gazed into each other's eyes, I cleared my throat. "So, Jasper, what do you do when you're not picking up junky furniture?" I laughed a little, so he'd know I wasn't angry at him. Well, I was trying not to be, anyway.

He didn't answer for a moment, but Alice looked at him expectantly. "Uh… I'm a musician, I guess." he said uncomfortably.

"Oh, do you still play guitar?" Alice smiled. "I always thought that was so sexy! Do you play anywhere, or have you recorded anything?"

Jasper shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. "No, I haven't recorded. I play some open mike nights here and there."

"Oh," Alice said, but that one word carried a lot of meaning. "You'll have to let us know next time you're playing, I'd love to see you perform."

Jasper nodded, but looked a bit deflated. "I obviously know what Bella does, but what about you, Alice? You were always such an amazing artist."

Alice perked up at the mention of her favorite subject. "You remember! Yeah, I got my degree in art, and I work at a gallery to pay the bills. I love seeing new artists come through, it's really fun to watch people develop. But my real passion is mixing art with avant-garde fashion, so I'm trying to get my own clothing line started. I make outfits for Bella and I to go out in all the time… I actually made the ones we're wearing tonight," she finished bashfully.

"Really? You both look amazing," Jasper complimented. "I mean, I thought you looked hot before, but knowing that you designed those dresses? You've got some talent there, baby."

Alice blushed and looked at him with devotion in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered as she moved closer.

I sighed and looked towards the stage, pretending to be interested in the band as they gathered their instruments and prepared to start playing. Too bad Alice had just used the restroom - I kind of needed to drag her off for an impromptu meeting about how this night was going to go. While I loved seeing her so happy, I didn't want to feel like a third wheel all night.

"Aw, come on, really? I should have gotten a pitcher of cold water," Edward exclaimed as he plunked the drink onto the table. Jasper and Alice turned towards us wearing identical sheepish expressions, but she remained practically in his lap. Taking a sip of his drink, Jasper nodded in thanks, and Edward just stood there awkwardly.

"Well, I'm going to... just go then," he said, grabbing his chair with his beer balanced precariously in one hand as he turned around. "Hey, Peter, Charlotte - mind if I join you?" he asked the couple at the table next to us, who looked confused but nodded.

He settled his chair with the back right next to mine, and although he was facing away from me, the tables were squeezed in close. If we both turned our heads, we'd be looking straight into each others' eyes. I scooted my chair forward as far as I could, but he tipped back on two legs to follow me. "Sorry, I'm not bothering you, am I?" he questioned, smiling innocently.

"Actually -" I was cut off by the band strumming a loud note to start their song, and since I couldn't be heard I resolved to ignore him and enjoy the music. The song was good and my beer was still cold, so as I sipped it I began to relax a little. I tried talking to Alice and Jasper, but the loud club prevented much conversation beyond simple comments and gestures.

After a while, my friend and her newly reunited man were nearly oblivious to the rest of the world, and when my beer was almost empty I switched it with her full one to see if she would notice. She'd moved completely to his lap now, and they were whispering quiet words in each others' ears. Judging from the looks of lust on their faces, the words were getting dirtier as the night went on.

"Do you like the band?" Edward tipped backwards to be near me again, and his lips were too close to my ear. I glared at him and he moved back a little but leaned in again. "Sorry, I don't mean to intrude on your personal space, but it's really loud in here," he apologized.

It _was_ loud, and as the drinks made my mind pleasantly fuzzy, my resolve to hate him weakened just a smidge. "It's fine," I said with a careless wave. "Yeah, I like the band." I turned back to my table and nodded at Alice when she asked me silently if I was all right.

Edward wouldn't give up that easily, though, and he tapped my shoulder until I scooted back enough so he could speak to me again, leaning in close. "I know this might not be a great time for a talk, but I want to… I'm really sorry for what I did today. I got mad and I went way overboard, and I wasn't thinking about... well, I wasn't thinking. For what it's worth, I want to apologize."

I pulled back and blinked at him for a few moments. Was this the same Edward Cullen who filed his multiple appeals with a cocky smirk just hours earlier? "I don't really know what to say to that, I guess. It's not like you can take them back."

"I know, I just… I wanted you to know that I'm sorry. Okay?" Edward smiled hopefully.

My anger flared at his easy dismissal. "No, it's not okay. I could have lost my job, Mr. Cullen, all because you're too much of a child to clean up your front lawn. Did you even think about that? Or about all the other people that you're dragging into your silly game?" I was enjoying the chance to speak my mind, but I knew that I needed to rein in my alcohol-loosed tongue. "I shouldn't even be speaking to you right now. You'd probably use all of this against me in court."

His face contorted, as if in pain. "I wouldn't do that, Bella. Or... Ms. Swan, I mean. And you can call me Edward, if you want. And... you didn't lose your job, did you?" he asked worriedly.

I didn't want to call him Edward, but I didn't want to be 'Ms. Swan' either. "Fine, Edward. No, I didn't lose my job. But I don't want to make small talk, and I don't want to be friends with people who sue me. Now if you'll excuse me," I said, standing up. Suddenly I had to pee after all those beers. "Alice, I'm heading to the bathroom, want to come?"

She shook her head briefly and turned back to the sweet nothings she was whispering to Jasper, so I hopped off my chair and headed for the restroom without sparing a glance for my sexy, pouting nemesis.

After waiting in line and doing my thing in the stall, I decided to get another round before heading back to the table. I waved my arm several times at the bartender but couldn't seem to get his attention. I was so focused on my mission that I was startled when I felt a body press up against my back.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Having trouble?"

I spun around to find my face at eye level with a too-large muscular chest covered by a too-small tank top. I looked up into pale blue eyes and a decent-looking face, made more noticeable by the closely cut dark hair. The muscle-bound look wasn't my thing, but I realized that Edward Cullen had distracted me from my goal of looking for a hookup to forget my troubles. My work troubles, that were all due to Edward Cullen… and my brain was running circles again. I sighed.

The man was still looking at me expectantly, and although he was standing too close I gave him a flirty smile. "Yeah, I want another drink, but I can't seem to catch the bartender."

The man grinned, showing an impressive display of straight white teeth. "Well, a pretty little thing like you is just too hard to see above the crowd, I guess." I internally rolled my eyes, but kept smiling anyway. Even if I didn't hook up with this guy, I wanted another beer. He waved at the bartender, and the guy quickly nodded his head to acknowledge him as the next customer.

Muscles leaned down to speak in my ear, and I jumped when I thought I felt his tongue on the shell of it for a moment. What the fuck was wrong with this guy? "So, sweet thing, while we wait for the bartender, how about you tell me your name?"

"Uh… Marie," I said, giving my middle name since I was getting major creep vibes.

"Well, Marie, I'm Felix. Very nice to meet you." He winked as he got closer, then put his arm around my waist. What the fuck…

"Hey, baby, what's taking you so long?" a familiar voice crooned, and I was pulled away from Felix to rest against another male body. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled my neck with way too much familiarity, but he was getting me away from the creepy complete stranger so I decided to let it go.

Edward stared boldly at the larger man for a moment until Felix lifted his hands in surrender and backed away. "Beautiful girl you got there, man. You should keep her close," he said in parting.

"Oh, I plan to," Edward murmured as he pulled me nearer. I knew I should be protesting, since I hated this guy, but his arms felt nice holding me against his firm, strong body. His lips returned to my neck, kissing softly up towards my ear.

"Hey, I think he's gone now," I protested but made no attempt to escape his embrace. I told myself it was just in case Felix was still looking, but my internal voice was a big fat liar.

Edward's arms dropped slowly, and I wondered if I was imagining the reluctance on his part to let me go. After what he'd done to me today, he couldn't possibly have feelings for me, could he? He had to know that I pretty much hated his guts, plus there was all of his baby drama to consider. Any man who was so terrible to the woman carrying his child couldn't possibly be a good boyfriend.

The bartender chose that moment to finally stop by and ask what we wanted. I got my favorite microbrew for both Alice and I, since I knew I'd probably drink hers anyway. Edward ordered as well, and then kept his hand on my back as he steered me towards the table.

Once we were settled and Alice had barely acknowledged the beer I set in front of her, I reluctantly spoke up. "Thanks for rescuing me, Edward."

He smiled sadly at my bitter tone. "My pleasure, Bella. You looked uncomfortable, and I didn't want that big oaf to try anything."

I chuckled. "You should have just waited a minute, if he got any closer I was about to whip out my awesome ninja self-defense skills."

"You have ninja self-defense skills?" Edward asked, laughing. "Now _this_ I've got to hear about."

I took a sip of my fresh drink and considered. I had nothing else to do at the moment, so I decided to just go with the conversation and see what happened. "I grew up with just my dad - my mom died when I was a kid. He's a cop in a small town about three hours from here, and he's a little overprotective. He wouldn't let me go out on dates until I had some serious knowledge about how to stop a guy if he was getting too friendly." I smiled, remembering how Charlie always seemed to be conspicuously cleaning his gun whenever a boy arrived to pick me up.

Edward look surprised. "Really? My mom died when I was a kid too, and it was always just me and my dad. Weird, huh?"

"Oh, so you know how important a dad can be in a kid's life, right?" I said pointedly, referring to his own impending fatherhood.

He gave me an odd look. "Yeah, sure. And didn't you just hate it when everyone got all weird on you in school when Mother's Day was coming up?"

I'd definitely experienced that, so it turned out we had something in common. Huh. Our conversation started to flow as our friends continued to exist in their own little world. The band seemed to get louder, so Edward and I were forced to get closer to hear each other, and before I knew it I could feel his breath on my ear as he said something about a bookstore we'd been discussing. We were both avid readers, we'd learned, although we had completely different tastes.

Just then, the band finished their last song, and as the crowd cheered for them I decided it was time to go.

"Ali, I'm getting tired. Do you want to go, or…" I wasn't sure if she was planning to go home with Jasper or not, but I didn't want to ask her in front of the guys.

"Yeah, we should probably go," Alice said, ignoring the disappointed look on Jasper's face. "You've got my number, right, Jazzy?"

He held up his phone. "Right here, baby. And you better believe I'll be calling you tomorrow."

"I'm counting on it," she said seductively. They kissed again, and I started to worry that I'd need a crowbar to ever get Alice home, but she broke away and grabbed my arm so we could head for the door. She continued looking back at him until we were out the door and in line for a cab, then she turned to me.

"Oh my _God_, Bella!" she had a grin on her face that was so wide, it looked like she might never get her mouth in a normal shape again.

"I know, Alice, I'm so happy for you." I gave her a hug to show her I wasn't too mad about basically being abandoned to make awkward conversation with a guy I was supposed to hate. The drinks I'd had surely helped me forgive her a little faster than I otherwise would have, and once I was forced to start talking to Edward, we'd actually had a decent time.

"Thanks so much for putting up with that jackass, you are the best friend ever! I owe you one," she exclaimed, still smiling like her life depended on it.

"Um, yeah, you owe me a hell of a lot more than one! Your lips hardly left Jasper's face all night." I elbowed her as I teased.

Alice turned red. "Yeah, well… sorry about that. We were making up for lost time, I guess."

"More like making _out_ for lost time!" I said, giggling drunkenly.

"So tell me the truth - how bad was he?" she asked, once my laughter quieted down.

I sighed heavily, then closed my eyes against a wave of nausea. "He was... fine, actually. Completely different. He apologized, Alice." I leaned my head back against the cab seat and focused on not throwing up. "It made me wish..." I trailed off.

"What, Bella?"

"I wish I didn't have to hate him so much," I admitted, yawning. "But I do. Because he's an ass. And that's bad. Not _his_ ass, that was very nice, with the jeans and all. He turned around, and it was nice."

Alice was laughing along with me by that point. "How many drinks did you have?"

"I don't know." I shook my head, then realized that was a mistake. "I kept switching them with yours when they were empty," I admitted, then groaned loudly when my head wouldn't stop spinning.

"Poor baby, I really am sorry. We'll get you home, and I'll put you to bed. And you won't have to see Edward Cullen ever again if you don't want to." Alice pushed my hair away from my forehead and stroked it soothingly.

I sighed again, relaxing onto her shoulder. Did I want to see Edward Cullen again? After tonight, my answer wasn't as emphatically 'no' as it would have been earlier, and I wasn't sure just how I felt about that.

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><p><strong>I'm mamabean30 on Twitter if you want to say hi – I'd love to talk to you<strong>

**So let me have it – did Bella let him off too easy? He did apologize… As always, I really enjoy hearing what you think.**

**Edward's up again next Wednesday, so I'll see you then!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed! I'm glad most of you weren't too upset with Bella. **

**My pre-readers BookishQua and Twilover76 are fantastic, and I owe them all the thanks in the world. Huge thanks and big hugs to Detochkina for the beta work, especially for correcting my disturbing lack of commas. They're all very talented authors, and I highly recommend their stories. **

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**What else? Oh yes… SM owns all.**

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><p><em>Edward<em>

_._

My eyes opened slowly the following morning, as the events of the night before came back to me. I threw my head back on the pillow and closed my eyes again, replaying my favorite moment of the night when I had my arms wrapped around Bella and I was kissing her neck. I hadn't wanted to stop… but I had to. Sadly, it wasn't real, I was just rescuing her from that huge creeper since she looked so uncomfortable. It had nothing to do with the fact that I was angry as hell when I saw him touching her- or at least that was what I was telling myself.

Fuck, I was in deep.

I pulled myself out of bed and headed downstairs. Feeling ambitious, I dug deep in the cupboard to find a box of pancake mix, and carefully measured out the right amounts of powder and water before heating the griddle on the stove. In the freezer I discovered some precooked sausages, and set them in a pan to heat as well. I felt as domestic as that cute chick on the cooking channel when I started pouring pancake batter onto the griddle.

Soon the smell of coffee and sausages brought Jasper down the stairs, and he grunted in thanks as he took the mug I offered. He sat down at the counter and sipped his coffee for a moment before the stupid love-struck grin snuck back across his face.

"So, Alice, huh?" I said as I flipped a couple of pancakes onto a plate.

"Damn, man, I didn't see this coming, but…" He trailed off and shook his head. "I haven't seen her in like six years, but as soon as I laid eyes on her, it hit me hard all over again."

"So what, you guys were together in high school? I didn't really get the story, seeing as how you ditched me," I reminded him, letting a hint of irritation come through in my voice.

Jasper had the decency to look abashed. "Yeah, sorry about that. I just… it was like I couldn't stay away from her, dude. Like we were magnets or something. I know it must have sucked for you, though."

"Yeah…" It was awkward at first, but in the end it forced Bella to talk to me, which was a good thing in my opinion. Who knew if I would have ever gotten a chance to apologize otherwise? "When are you seeing Alice again?"

Jasper smiled wider. "I think I'm going to meet up with her later today. I can't wait, man, it's fucking pathetic as hell" He laughed, clearly not upset at this new development.

I shook my head. "Wow, she whipped you that fast? I can't wait to tell Emmett. It took him at least a month or two to get this attached to Rosalie."

Jasper took a huge mouthful of pancake and stuck his tongue out at me with a half-chewed bite in full view. "Fwock Oooo," he said before swallowing. "Hey, Edward, can I ask you something?"

"Um... you just did. But knock yourself out."

"This is serious, buddy. Am I a loser?" Jasper asked, wearing a genuinely worried expression.

I snorted with surprised laughter. "Hell yeah, you're the biggest loser I know. In fact, a TV show called for you earlier, _Biggest Loser_? They're giving up the weight loss thing, they just want to do a special about how much of a loser you are so that other people can feel better about themselves," I teased him. "What the fuck are you asking me a question like that for?"

Jasper hung his head. "I just don't want Alice to think I'm a loser, that's all. I should've known I couldn't get a straight answer from you, douche."

"What do you mean? You're awesome. Why would she not see that?" I asked.

"She was always this amazing artist, and she's working on her goals and doing her art thing while she's making a living working at a gallery. I'm not doing shit with my life, and I just mooch off of you all the time." Jasper looked discouraged. "If I did look for a job, I wouldn't know where to start. I don't even have any good skills."

"Hey, you could always flip burgers at the fast food place up the street. I just saw a sign there the other day that said 'Now Hiring losers' - you'd be a shoe-in!"

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure Alice would be all over me if I could get her free chicken nuggets whenever she wanted. I'm really worried here, man. Last night she asked me what I did, and I was kind of vague, but I think she knew I was a fucking bum with no job." He dropped his face into his hand.

I was taken aback - I'd never seen Jasper so upset. "Dude, don't get so down on yourself. You've got your music, yeah? And your history major, that has to count for something. Even if it did take you six years to finish…" I joked but regretted it as his face fell again. "Damn it, I was kidding. Lighten up, man - at least you've been in a relationship before, you know how to do the boyfriend shit. I've never had a girl that lasted longer than a month or two, so I wouldn't have the first fucking clue of what to do."

"Aw, come on, man, you're not that bad," he consoled, and I congratulated myself for changing the subject to what a loser _I_ was.

"Well the proof is right there, I mean, look how bad I messed things up with Bella," I said, feeling the melancholy guilt from yesterday press back onto my shoulders. "I'm lucky she even talked to me last night."

Jasper's eyes lit up. "Are you still hung up on the Inspector? What happened to 'plenty of chicks in the sea' and all that?"

"I just… I can't stop thinking about her. I was so excited to put her in her place yesterday, but once I filed that paperwork I felt really shitty about it. She was fucking crying, dude; I made her cry. And right now I'm just some asshole she issued a citation to. Imagine the damage I could do if I tried to be her fucking boyfriend…" I shook my head. "I would suck at it."

"Why do you even want a girlfriend, then? You get a decent amount of pussy now – well, at least you used to - and no one tells you what to do all the time," Jasper said logically.

"I know. I've just never been that interested in anyone to want them to stick around. Who knows, if I ever did fuck Bella I'd probably get tired of her too." I couldn't actually imagine that happening, though. I wasn't sure if it was her confidence, her smarts, or just the way she'd stood up to me, but she intrigued me more than any woman I'd ever met. Her sweet face and killer body didn't hurt anything either.

Jasper chuckled. "Don't worry too much about it, you're not going to get that chance anytime soon after the stunt you pulled."

I finished my pancakes and threw my plate into the sink with a violent clatter. "Yeah, whatever." I stomped over to the coffee pot to get another cup, and stood there staring at the wall and feeling sorry for myself. Damn it, I hated this mopey crap. It wasn't like me at all, and yet somehow yearning after Bella felt so completely right that I couldn't stop.

Jasper's phone dinged, rousing me from my wallgazing. "Hey, Alice wants to go to a concert in the park this afternoon and then an early dinner. Do you want to come?"

"Oh yes, please can I come crash your date, maybe even witness more saliva swapping? It was very educational last night, and I'm so glad you're offering me an encore," I said, my words glowing with sarcasm.

"What other pressing plans do you have, dude? Besides, I want you to get to know Alice. She's important," Jazz pleaded. "Let me show her what an awesome guy I'm mooching off of, so maybe she won't think I'm a total dork."

I faked a serious face. "You know, once that TV special comes out, she'll find out what a loser you really are."

"Ha-ha-ha," Jasper fake-laughed. "So, you coming?"

"No, I'm going to hang out here. But you kids have fun, and be safe," I lectured jokingly. "Do you have protection?"

"You're funny," Jasper said, flipping me off as he ran up the stairs to take a shower.

I grumbled a bit under my breath, wondering if it would be so hard for him to stick around and help with the dishes. I scraped the leftovers into the garbage and started running water into the sink. Of course, as soon as I was up to my elbows in bubbles the doorbell rang, so I quickly rinsed my hands and dried them on a kitchen towel before rushing to open the door.

As soon as I opened it, I wished I hadn't. "Ugh, Victoria, what are you doing here?"

"Is that any greeting for family, Edward?" Victoria tsk-tsk'd at me. "What would your father say?"

"Shut the fuck up about my father. What do you want?" I crossed my arms and glared at her, daring her to make a move toward the inside of the house.

"Come on, Edward, can't I come in and sit down?" she purred. "My ankles are already getting swollen from this little brother or sister of yours." Victoria laid a hand on top of a small bulge in her stomach, which hadn't been there last time she visited. Did babies grow that fast?

"Nope, you are not welcome in my house. Porch only, and you have exactly fifteen seconds before I slam the door."

Victoria held out a brown file folder full of papers. "This is the case I've filed requesting a new probate hearing. The baby will get half the estate, which needs to include this house so we have somewhere to live. Plus, I'll need access to at least $20,000 a month in living expenses," she said matter-of-factly.

I snorted loudly. "Anything else?"

She apparently didn't catch my sarcasm, and flipped through the paperwork before responding, "Well, I'll need a safe family vehicle to transport the baby, of course. I'd settle for a Lexus RX, or a BMW X5. I'll also have to hire a nanny to take care of it and change the diapers and stuff." She wrinkled her nose in disgust, and handed over the whole stack to me.

I accepted it and started glancing over the documents inside, noting curiously that she was using the same firm that had drawn up the pre-nup for my father in preparation for their wedding. "I'll have to look through this, but I'd probably agree to half the estate, in a trust to be managed by me, and only on the condition of a paternity test. I'll also want partial custody," I said.

"A paternity test?" Victoria asked, sounding offended. "You know I would never have cheated on Carlisle! I loved him so dearly, and it's just so hard now that he's gone." She sniffed, the crocodile tears pooling in her eyes. "I'm just thankful that I can have this opportunity to keep a piece of him with me."

Then her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute, a trust managed by _you_? Nice try," she scoffed. I noticed she didn't object to my custody demand, which was pretty sad.

"Of course I would have to manage the trust – I want to make sure that my baby sibling's money is still there when he or she needs it. If I left it up to you, it'll all be spent on manicures and fake fur," I jeered.

"My lawyer is going to have something to say about that, Edward. I guess we'll see you in court, since you're so determined to make this as difficult as possible," she said angrily.

I smiled. "Just doing my job, then. But there's no way in hell you're getting your claws on a cent of the money, and I _am_ going to demand a paternity test. The court will order one, you know," I said confidently even though I wasn't sure, and watched carefully for her response.

Victoria blanched, but quickly recovered. "We'll see, Edward. I don't even know how they would do that, since Carlisle is gone. And I really want to get this all settled before the baby comes anyway, so I can move in here and get the place all ready."

"I'm sure they can probably compare the DNA to mine, or maybe Carlisle's is on record somewhere. That seems like something he'd do. If nothing else, we could always exhume his body." I tried not to show how disturbed I was at this possibility, but I didn't think it would actually get that far. "Well, Victoria, it's been just swell, but now you need to get the fuck off my property," I said as I shooed her off the porch.

"Ugh," Victoria whined as she picked her way through my sculptures in the front yard. "I can't wait to move in here so I can get rid of all this shit."

"I think you're living in your dreams again, Vic. There's no way in hell you're getting this house," I replied.

Victoria flashed a bright smile as she opened her car door. "Oh, Edward, I think you're misunderstanding the effect that a poor, grieving, pregnant widow could have on a judge. But if you want to take your chances, I'll be waiting!" She gave an annoying little wave and then finally got in her car and drove away.

"You're not a fucking widow," I grumbled as I walked in the door. Goddamnit, she was right, though. As long as she kept her tears believable, she could do very well in front of a judge. I brainstormed ways to get around her advantage as I absently walked up the stairs to my room. My first order of business was some research - I needed to know if it was possible for Victoria to be pregnant with my sibling, and then what legal rights she had. Maybe it was a good thing Jasper was leaving - I needed some quiet time with my computer.

~~~~SiC~~~~~~

As it turned out, Jasper spent quite a bit of time with Alice that week, so without my loafing partner I had nothing to do but be productive. I got a letter from the city notifying me of the court dates, and I did some work for all of my five clients, changing my strategy a bit. The legal database I still paid for access to came in handy as I looked up case after case relating to posthumous paternity claims. For some of the more obscure references, I ventured to a law school library. Even though I took long breaks to play video games, watch terrible TV, and mess around with my art, by the following weekend I was getting restless.

"What's going on today?" I asked Jasper on Saturday over our morning bowls of cereal. "Want to hit up a Goodwill or two? Maybe cruise around for more art for the front lawn?"

"Um... what time is it?" He craned his neck to see the clock on the microwave, the only accurate timepiece we had in the house besides our phones. "I guess I've got a couple of hours. I'm meeting Alice for a movie later, then going to dinner. But we could do Goodwill now if you want." He shrugged and drained the remaining milk from his bowl. "Why don't you come with to the movie? I really do want you to get to know Alice. She really kinda hates your guts after what you did to Bella, so it would be good for her to see the other side of you."

"Wow, sounds awesome," I said sardonically, but sighed when I saw my best friend's sad face. "Fine, I'll come. But no chick movies."

"Deal." Jasper held out his right hand for me to shake, but I slapped it away and rolled my eyes.

"Let's just get to the thrift store before all the ugly stuff is gone," I said.

~~~~SiC~~~~~~

We struck gold at the store in the form of a five-foot-tall statue of a dog dressed as a butler, holding out a tray. I guessed we were supposed to put keys or something on it, but Jasper and I decided it would be the perfect addition to our TV room so we had a place to store the video game controllers. Unfortunately, our new friend Rover proved bulky to transport and get in the house, so we were running late to the movie theater. As we pulled into a parking space, I saw the short spikey-haired brunette waiting impatiently out front. Next to her, looking casually gorgeous in dark jeans and a fitted red t-shirt, was Bella.

I put the car in park and smacked Jasper on the arm. "What the hell, dude? You didn't tell me Bella was coming!"

"Ow!" Jasper rubbed his arm. "No need for violence, man! I didn't know… but maybe she didn't have anything going on and Alice invited her along. Great minds think alike, you know." He smirked.

I was dismayed and nervous, hoping I could talk to her again, but expecting the worst. "Whatever. Let's go before we're any later – looks like your girlfriend is kind of pissed off already."

Jasper's eyes lit up as he reached for the door handle. "You don't think it's too soon to ask her to be my girlfriend?"

"What the fuck do I know about it?" I scoffed. "How long did you wait the first time?"

"Damn it, I can't remember. I wish I knew what our high school anniversary was or something – if it was coming up, I could ask her then and it would be fucking cute as hell. Girls dig that shit," he said confidentially, as we drew closer to the ticket office.

"About time!" Alice teased. "I brought Bella, I hope that's okay… " Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she looked at me. "What's _he_ doing here?"

Jasper put his arm around her and pulled her close. "I wanted you to get to know my best friend a little, outside of... everything else going on. Is it going to be a problem?" He looked apologetically at me, and I wished I'd just followed my gut and stayed home.

Alice looked at Bella, who shifted uncomfortably and studiously avoided looking my direction. "It's fine," she said finally. "I checked the regulations at work, and there's nothing that says I can't be around him." She sounded almost disappointed, and I tried hard not to take it personally. "We just can't discuss his case."

Jasper smiled. "See, baby? It's fine." He grabbed Alice's hand and headed for the ticket booth. "Four tickets for… what are we seeing?"

"Bella and I actually already bought our tickets... we both really wanted to see 'Gotta Be Love', is that okay?" Alice asked hopefully.

"Of course, sweetheart." He nodded as he told the ticket clerk we only needed two tickets, then stepped aside to let me pay as he usually did. I didn't care, I had plenty of money, but Alice's eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Jasper and then at me.

Jasper suddenly seemed to realize that he looked a little too used to having me pay, so he spoke up quickly. "I'll get the next one, okay, Edward?" His eyes pleaded with me to agree.

Cursing under my breath, I signed the credit slip and thought about what to say, but in the end I couldn't leave my buddy hanging like that. Especially now that I knew how paranoid he was about looking like a loser. "Yeah, sure, man, that's cool." I was definitely getting Jasper back for this later, since he had promised me no chick movies and then caved at the first opportunity.

I was disappointed that I hadn't been able to buy Bella's ticket, since that would have forced her to look at me at least, but I lucked out at the popcorn counter. Bella decided to visit the restroom and pointedly asked Alice to get her a Diet Coke. I bought Alice and Jasper's popcorn and drinks, then ordered Bella's soda too.

"Hey Alice, what kind of candy does Bella like?" I asked.

"Junior Mints, why?" Alice shook her head as I added a box of the candy to my order. "She's not going to take that from you," she warned, laughing at my persistence.

I just shrugged and gathered my goodies with a smile. Bella joined us at the door to the theater, and when I offered her the cup she looked disdainfully at me, like I was trying to hand her a dead squirrel.

"What is that?" she asked, her forehead marked with an adorably angry little 'v' between her eyes.

"Diet Coke, of course," I said innocently. "Isn't that what you wanted?" Bella shot me a glare that could have blistered paint and breezed past me into the theater.

I smothered my laughter as we walked in and found our seats. I preferred to sit in the front row of the stadium section so I could put my feet on the railing, but Jasper and Alice insisted on sitting in the back for 'a better view.' I suspected they just wanted to make out without being seen, though. Of course they arranged things so that Jasper went in first, then Alice after him. Bella sat next to her friend and I scooted in next to her, as close as I dared.

I thought about trying to raise the armrest, but decided that would be pushing it and I put Bella's rejected soda cup in the holder between us. Then, I waited until Bella was distracted by a trivia question in the 'pre-show entertainment' to slip the box of Junior Mints into her hand.

She looked down, confused. "What the hell are these?"

"Have you never had them before? Those are called _Junior Mints_, they're small, chewy round mints with a dark chocolate shell. I think they're delicious, myself," I added with a smile.

She rolled her eyes at me. "I know what Junior Mints are, you ass. I meant, why did you buy them?"

"I bought them for you, of course. I know what a trial it is for you to endure my company, so I figured you deserved some sort of tasty treat." I went with the self-deprecating approach and flashed my best crooked smile, hoping she'd get over the awkwardness at seeing me again.

Bella gave a small, rueful chuckle. "You are a piece of work, Edward Cullen. You're a smart lawyer, so you know damn well I can't accept anything from you while you have a pending citation from the city. Bribery, and all of that."

"Ah, but surely there's a threshold of some kind, where gifts are so trivial that they don't matter?" I arched my eyebrow at her in challenge.

"Well... yes... how much were these?" she asked, considering.

"The soda and candy together were $5.50," I said, amused at her letter-of-the-law approach.

She looked between the cup and the box of mints in her hand. "The limit is five bucks, so I guess I have to pick one or the other."

I rolled my eyes. "Good grief, Bella. Why don't you just forget the fifty cents?"

She reached for her purse and shook her head. "Nope, that's not how it works," she said, as she counted out change. "Oh look, I have five bucks! Here, now my conscience is completely clear." She handed me a bill and some quarters before I could refuse, then popped open her box of candy with a satisfied look on her face. I watched as she raised a few mints to her mouth and relaxed into her seat. "Mmmmmm," she moaned quietly.

I gulped, suddenly wishing I could hear that noise again in a much more private setting.

Bella quickly recovered from her brief episode of mint chocolate bliss. "Um… thank you, Edward, for picking these up for me," she said grudgingly. "Would you like some?"

"No thanks," I choked out. She looked at me strangely, but thankfully the lights dimmed and the previews started.

About two minutes after the theater went dark, Bella nudged my arm and motioned over to Alice and

Jasper, who were kissing madly.

I chuckled and whispered, "They better pace themselves. I don't envy Jasper - " I stopped short, realizing I couldn't really finish the sentence with 'blue balls' like I would if I was talking to Emmett. "Um, I don't envy him in that situation."

"What situation?" Bella whispered back in confusion.

"Um, just…" I gestured vaguely to my crotch. "That… situation. It can get uncomfortable," I explained, feeling my face turn red in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, I… I don't understand, what?" Bella whispered back innocently.

I shrunk in my seat. Was she fucking serious? "Um… I… well… when a guy gets… aroused, and doesn't get to… uh…" I fidgeted while choosing my next words, then realized Bella was shaking with the effort of holding in her laughter. I glared at her, and she clapped her hands over her mouth to hold in the sound.

She took several moments to compose herself, then touched my arm again. "I'm sorry, Edward, I just couldn't resist." She pulled her hand away quickly, but not before my body rocketed to high alert at her touch.

I grumbled a bit, but to be honest I was completely amused by her sense of humor. She had honestly gotten the best of me, and I respected her for it.

The movie was terrible, but I didn't mind after Bella and I started whispering comments mocking the lackluster dialogue.

"I'm so glad you came so it's not just me sitting here looking like a perv next to these two," I blurted out, motioning to our roommates who were lost in each others' eyes.

Bella blushed and smiled shyly. "I guess... I'm glad you came, too."

Even though the movie was still playing, the silence between us suddenly became awkward. I made a few half-hearted comments about the dialogue, but the easy camaraderie we had between us earlier had evaporated. To make things worse, the characters on the screen started kissing passionately, so we were assaulted by romantic images on two sides.

I sat stiffly next to Bella as we watched the lead characters fall into bed tearing each others' clothes off. I was painfully aware of my own growing arousal, and I fought the intense desire to pull the beautiful woman next to me into my arms. As I stole glances at her out of the side of my eyes, I saw that her breathing seemed to have increased slightly and her teeth were pressing into her lip. Fuck, I didn't know why that was so damn sexy, but it was, and I tried desperately to think of something to say or some excuse to touch her as the tension crackled between us.

Finally, I reached out for her arm, dragging my hand slowly down her soft skin to squeeze her hand gently. She seemed startled and jumped a bit, but leaned in to hear my whisper. "I hope those two next to us don't get any ideas – they don't need any more encouragement," I said lamely. Shit, that was all I could come up with?

Bella gave me a courtesy chuckle and nodded. "I know, they haven't even seen any of the movie. Jasper could have saved himself the eight bucks and just invited her to his place." She thought for a moment. "Or, I guess he would have saved _you_ the eight bucks, and invited her to _your_ house," she said mischievously.

"Hey, lay off my roommate, Bella. He's a starving musician, and it's not like I mind." I kept my tone teasing, but I felt protective of Jasper and his insecurities. I glanced over at my buddy, who was now nuzzling Alice's neck as she whispered in his ear. I smiled at how happy they looked, even if I did feel a twinge of envy for the closeness they shared.

When the movie was over we filed out into the lobby to discuss dinner plans, and I decided it was time for a little payback.

"So, Jazz, what was your favorite part of the movie?" I asked innocently.

Jasper appeared to be mentally grasping to remember any small detail. "I don't know, I didn't really have a favorite part. I liked it in general, though," he said with a shrug.

"My favorite part was the alien attack," I said seriously. "In my opinion, there aren't enough alien attacks in romantic comedies. Don't you agree, Bella?" I turned to her, winking quickly before our friends could notice.

"Oh yes, the alien attack was cool." She nodded, her face full of mirth, but she managed to hold back the grin that was struggling to break free. "But I really liked when the alien spawn was born, and it started singing that song. That part was just amazing!" She turned to Alice, "Didn't you love that? I thought for sure that would be your favorite part. How did that song go?"

"Um... I don't... yeah, that part was great. Really... funny?" Alice stuttered.

I faked offense. "Funny? Alice, that's a little cruel. His head was blown off in the crossfire just seconds later!"

"I meant... um..."

She squirmed and looked to Jasper, who valiantly attempted to save his girl. "I definitely loved the song, I'll have to look it up when we get home and see if I can play it for you, baby."

Bella was snickering quietly, but I managed to keep my straight face. "You should definitely do that, buddy, I'd love to hear it."

Alice, obviously not knowing when to leave things alone, decided to jump in again. "I was just so surprised to see the aliens, I guess. There... weren't any in the commercials," she said, looking confused.

"Yeah, but I think it added to the effect, you know? The element of surprise and all. It was really well done." I smirked.

Bella was clutching my arm and giggling openly now, and I wasn't complaining. Jasper and Alice looked at her strangely until she caught her breath. "When are you two going to admit that you didn't actually see any of the movie?" she asked with one last chuckle.

Alice flushed red, but Jasper just pulled her close and looked proud. "So... there were no aliens?" he questioned resignedly.

I shot him a sarcastic look. "No, but I still maintain my opinion that there aren't enough romantic comedies with alien attacks in them. An alien attack would have drastically improved this movie," I said with a smile.

"Oh my God, Bella, when did you get so mean!" Alice squealed and swatted at Bella's arm.

"I learned from the best, obviously," Bella said, looking at me pointedly as I shifted from one foot to the other.

"Yeah, yeah. So where are we going for dinner?" I changed the subject before the topic of conversation could change to what a jerk I was.

We all agreed on an Italian place on Fourth Avenue, but hit a hitch when we headed to the cars since apparently Jasper and Alice couldn't be separated for the five minute drive and Alice drove a two-seater VW Beetle convertible. Since my Vanquish was also a two-seater, we had an awkward few moments until Bella threw up her hands and stomped towards my car. "Good grief, you two. I'll ride with Edward, but you'd better not take any 'detours' on the way."

I pushed down my happiness at seeing Bella in my passenger seat, and got in the driver's side. To my surprise, I thought for the first time that I should have given in and cleaned up the yard when she first asked me to, so that I could have known her without all this shit in the background. Now things were so much more complicated, and I didn't know if she would ever consider going out with me at all.

So as I drove to the restaurant, I pretended for a few minutes that she was my girlfriend, and we were heading out on a date like we did most Saturday nights. It wasn't much, but the warm feeling I got made me wish I could make my vision a reality.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm mamabean30 on Twitter if you want to say hello in 140 characters or less.<strong>

**Are Alice and Jasper the worst friends ever? At least Edward and Bella had a little fun at their expense. I'd love to hear what you thought - any comment is much appreciated.**

**See you next Wednesday!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks so much to everyone who read and reviewed! I loved hearing how many have been stuck in a movie theater next to friends making out… awkward... **

**Thank you, thank you, thank you to my prereaders BookishQua and Twilover76, and also to my wonderful beta Detochkina. They're all gorgeous women and very talented authors themselves, so you should go check them out! **

**I have some new readers this week thanks to the lovely Gingerandgreen, who rec'd my story in her latest chapter. I'm a huge fan of hers as well, so if you haven't read **_**Plight Thee My Troth**_**, go forth and do so post-haste. It's a wonderful historic fic with an impulsive, dashing, charming Edward – love it!**

**I keep forgetting who owns these characters… who was that again? Oh yeah... not me.**

* * *

><p><em>Bella<em>

_._

We pulled up to the restaurant, and Edward parked his pretentious rich-boy car. I hated to admit it, but I loved how smooth and comfortable it was, and leaning back into the smooth leather seats made me feel sexy. The whole afternoon had been surreal – it felt natural to joke back and forth with Edward, even though we'd been thrown together by the mutual rudeness of our friends. It was getting harder to remember that I hated him.

While I was lost in thought, Edward got out of the car and quickly moved to my side to open the door. I fought back a swoon at his gentlemanly behavior, murmuring a quiet "thank you" before I got out. As we approached the restaurant door, he opened it for me and guided me through with one hand lightly on the small of my back.

I was trying to disregard his charm, since I couldn't date him with the situation we were in. Also, I reminded myself that he was going to be a father and had treated the baby's mother abominably. Even setting aside the court case, I didn't need someone like that in my life. I excused myself to the restroom to strengthen my resolve, but all I saw when I looked in the mirror were my eyes bright with excitement and my cheeks flushed a light pink from all the blushing I had done that day. Spending time with Edward Cullen looked good on me, I had to admit, at least when he wasn't being an ass.

When I got the courage to leave the ladies' room I saw that Edward had secured a nice booth, but Alice and Jasper had yet to appear. Seriously? They were the worst friends ever. If they wanted to go fuck the afternoon away, that was fine, but they didn't have to drag Edward and I along for the ride. As I walked to the table I texted Alice in all caps, since I knew she hated that.

_WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU? – B _

I arrived at the table and after debating a moment, decided to slide in next to Edward since Alice and Jasper seemed to be joined at the hip. I may or may not have scooted closer than I needed to.

"I took a chance and ordered a bottle of chardonnay – do you want some?" he asked politely.

I cocked my head at him, wondering if Alice had told him my favorite wine or if he'd simply gotten lucky. "I'd love a glass, thanks... as long as we're splitting the bill," I reminded.

He nodded in capitulation, and poured me a generous serving. I took an appreciative sip before turning to him.

"Have you heard anything from our friends?" My tone indicated my doubt on their whereabouts.

He shook his head and smiled back at me. "Nope. How about you?"

Right on cue, my phone dinged with a reply from my MIA best friend. Or former best friend, depending on how this all worked out tonight.

_Sorry! Srsly, we have a flat tire. Jasper is changing it now. Be there soon. - A_

I smirked at my phone, then threw it back in my purse. "Alice says they had a flat tire, and Jasper's changing it now."

Edward started laughing. "That's bullshit – Jasper couldn't change the radio station without asking me how to do it. I bet they're parked somewhere."

I shook my head, imagining all the ways I could torture Alice to get her back for this. "Well, at least we have this lovely bottle of wine while we wait. Should we order some appetizers?"

"Sure, whatever you want is fine. I'm not picky," Edward said.

The waitress stopped by right on cue, clearly irritated that Edward had been joined by a woman. She gazed at him like she wished he was on the menu, until I interrupted her ogling to order some bruschetta and an olive plate. With a too-bright smile she turned to Edward but he just nodded his agreement and waved her off without a glance.

When the waitress left, silence fell between us. I wasn't sure which route to take – we'd done very well with small talk for the first part of the afternoon, so I could stick with that. Or, knowing that we had a while to wait for our dinner companions, I could ask the question that had been puzzling my brain since I first met him.

Gathering my courage, I drained my glass of wine and turned to Edward. "So really, will you tell me what the deal is with the junk on your front lawn?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about my case?" he asked with a smirk.

"You're right, I'm sorry. Forget it." I turned away, embarrassed that I'd been the one to cross the line.

Edward smiled as he poured me more wine. "Well, I certainly don't mind. I guess it depends, are you asking as my building inspector, or as the beautiful woman with whom I've spent a delightful afternoon?" He raised his eyebrow as he looked at me in challenge.

I blushed, again. "Not as a building inspector," I said. Quickly, I realized I had made it sound like I was agreeing with the other option, which definitely wasn't right either. "Just as a… friend who appreciates historic architecture," I clarified. Were we friends? I wasn't sure.

Edward looked a little disappointed. "It's not intended as an insult to the… historic architecture," he said.

"Well, the historic architecture deserves respect, and you may not be meaning to insult it, but you are," I responded pointedly.

Edward reached out tentatively as if to brush some hair away from my face, but I pulled back in surprise. His hand fluttered to his lap instead. "Tell the historic architecture that I'm very sorry," he answered softly.

I swallowed hard, as if that could somehow diffuse the tension sparking between us. "What if it accepts your apology, what happens then?" I asked, the question directed to myself just as much as Edward.

"Maybe the architecture and I could start over? See if we could get to know each other outside of a homeowner and his… house?" Edward wrinkled his brow in confusion, clearly trying to figure out how to make the metaphor continue.

I laughed, ready to drop the facade. "Either way, you still didn't answer my question," I reminded him.

He sighed. "That's because I don't really know how to answer. There's no good reason, nothing that feels... worthwhile enough to tell you," he said sadly.

"Why don't you start at the beginning? Why did you buy that house if you don't appreciate the historic value of it? And I really am talking about the historic part this time," I clarified.

"I didn't buy it; I inherited it from my dad when he died a few months ago. I guess… to make a long story short, I was unhappy with his life choices that led to buying the house. But it was better than the apartment Jazz and I were living in, so we decided to move in. Then the neighbors were all pretentious and uptight, so we thought it was funny to put junk out there and piss them off. And then… I don't know. It feels like it's gotten blown way out of proportion, you know? And I just dig in my heels and fight, even though it doesn't really matter…" Edward seemed to have almost forgotten I was there, and he shook his head in an attempt to clear his thoughts. "This must sound stupid to you."

I put my hand on his arm comfortingly. "If it's honest, that's all I care about. It makes sense, sort of."

Edward looked at my fingers on his arm and placed his other hand lightly on top of them. "You never answered my question either, you know."

"What question?"

"Do you think that we could ever start over? I mean, get to know each other outside of you being my building inspector?"

I was silent for a long moment, and luckily our appetizers arrived to give me more time to think. I picked up an olive and fiddled with it to have something to look at other than the emotion in Edward's mesmerizing green eyes. "What do you mean?" I asked finally. "If Jasper and Alice stick together, we'll probably hang out on occasion, and -"

"That's not what I mean," he interrupted, his tone intense.

Again, I avoided his eyes. "I... I just don't know. I have to be careful with my job – it took me forever to find the one I have, so I can't break any rules. Plus there are these unwritten expectations – I have to work harder because I'm a girl, and the guys might lose respect for me if I was seeing someone work-related. I've seen it happen before." The wine was making my answer flow more honestly than I would like, but the words kept coming. "Plus, if I'm being brutally honest, there are other things about you that concern me. Maybe this is way too presumptuous, but… I want to have kids someday, and I want to be with someone who wants them too."

Edward looked completely confused. "I definitely want kids someday. Why would you think I wouldn't?"

"The other day when I was at your house, and your ex showed up? I have to admit that I overheard most of your conversation, and it was shocking how badly you reacted to being a father. You were so mean to her, and I don't know the details of your relationship or how you broke up, but…" I sighed, but this was something I was really passionate about, so I decided to just go for it. "Edward, I was the result of an unplanned pregnancy myself. When someone reacts the way you do, I get really offended thinking that it could have been _my_ father acting like an ass."

Edward had been staring at me blankly during my explanation, but suddenly he laughed hysterically. I didn't know what to do at first, but I got insulted when his laughter went on, and I snatched my hand away from his arm.

"No… wait…" he finally choked out. "Just give me a second…" He wiped some tears away from his eyes and took a drink of water to compose himself.

"I'm so sorry for laughing, Bella, but you made some assumptions that just aren't true. Victoria," he spat out the name as if it tasted terrible, "is not my ex, thanks be to all that is holy." He crossed himself quickly before continuing. "She was actually my father's fiancée."

"Your father's…" My mind was spinning. "So, she's pregnant with your… sibling? But your dad's been gone for how long, now?" Realization hit me like an ice cold shower. "That's why you were so angry and calling her a liar, and then I lectured you… oh God!" I put my face in my hands in humiliation. "Edward, I'm so sorry!"

He chuckled and tugged one of my hands away from my burning face. "It's okay, Bella. Come on, look at me, please?" I raised my eyes tentatively to meet his mirthful green ones. "I'm glad you brought it up, really. I had no idea why you were so mad at me all of the sudden, but it makes sense."

I got embarrassed all over again remembering the lecture I'd given him, and the pointed 'fatherhood' comments I'd made the other night. "I really am sorry. That's what I get, for listening in on something that wasn't my business and jumping to conclusions." I shook my head ruefully. "You must think I'm crazy."

"No, I don't think you're crazy. I do think _she's_ crazy, though," he said, frustration lining his words.

"I can't imagine… what are you going to do?"

He sighed heavily. "She's filed a lawsuit looking for half my father's estate for the kid. I need to figure out the best way to fight it, I guess. I mean, part of me really wants to have a sibling, you know? So I'm not the only Cullen anymore, and I'd have some family left. And I'd definitely give the kid the money in a trust if she actually is pregnant, but I just can't imagine she's telling the truth." Edward rubbed his hand through his hair, clearly stressed out by the whole situation.

"Well, I'm really sorry for misunderstanding, and I'm sorry that she's putting you through this," I said in what I hoped was a comforting manner.

"Thanks. At least you and I have it straight now." Edward smiled brightly, as the atmosphere between us eased with the passing of the heavy topic. I reached for the bruschetta as he continued speaking. "So, Bella, tell me more about yourself. I already know that unplanned pregnancies and historic architecture are important to you, that's quite a spectrum of issues," he said mischievously.

"All I know about you is that you like trash on your lawn and frivolous lawsuits," I teased back.

"Ah, touché." Edward grinned. "You know that I'm a lawyer, and that I live with Jasper."

"You know that I'm a building inspector, and I live with Alice," I countered playfully.

"You know that… I'm sorry for what I did to you," Edward said more seriously.

"I do," I admitted. "And you know that I have to do my job."

Edward nodded and looked like he was going to say more, but just then Jasper rushed over to the table with Alice in tow.

"I'm sorry, guys! I swear, we had a flat tire, and we didn't realize it until after you had already left the lot," Jasper said as they scooted into the other side of the booth.

Alice nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Bella, I'm so sorry. I've never had a flat before, I don't know what happened."

"You really changed a flat?" Edward asked, the doubt obvious in his voice.

"Yeah, I did," Jasper said proudly. "I had no clue how to do it, but Alice got out the car manual and looked it up on her phone, and we got it done. Look, I've got the grease on my hands to prove it," he gloated, holding out palms that were streaked with black.

Alice squeaked and smacked him playfully. "Baby, that is sexy as hell, but go wash your hands before we eat!" She smiled as Jasper obeyed and headed for the restroom.

I cleared my throat and looked at her sternly, so she knew we were going to have words later. Even if she hadn't done it on purpose, abandoning me alone with Edward was not cool. I was glad he and I had cleared a few things up, like the fact that he wasn't a jackass deadbeat father – that was important information for a girl to know. But it was tough to stay angry at him and maintain professional boundaries when we got along so well.

We sat in silence for a while, Edward and I sipping our wine. "We really are sorry to have kept you waiting for so long," Alice apologized again as Jasper came back to the table.

I turned to Edward. "I don't know, should we forgive them?"

"Hmmm…" He stroked his chin as he pretended to consider the issue. "I'm not sure. On one hand, they've made us wait for our dinner, and I'm very serious about my Italian food. On the other hand, I spent the time waiting alone with a gorgeous woman, so I can't be completely put out." He turned to Jasper. "I'll forgive you this time, but you're lucky I had such exquisite company." Edward winked at me, then grabbed my hand and kissed it gently before holding his fist out to Jasper for a bump.

I blushed yet again at his compliments and his touch, and Alice's eyebrows shot up into her hairline. She looked at me purposefully to begin another silent conversation. _You are SO telling me about this later._

_Do you really deserve that right now? I'm still pissed at you for leaving me again,_ I sent back.

Alice pouted. _I know, I swear I didn't do it on purpose, and I'm reallyreallyreally sorry!_

The guys were staring at us, so we put our silent conversation on hold. The waitress appeared to take Jasper and Alice's drink orders, since Edward and I refused to share our bottle of wine with them, and we all decided we should take a look at the menus so we could get some food sometime that evening.

Our conversation flowed effortlessly as we waited for our food, and it was nice to get to know Jasper a little more now that he and Alice had stopped kissing for a while. Apparently a crowded restaurant was too public for them, so at least they had _some_ standards.

Jasper and Edward were pretty funny together, egging each other on telling jokes and funny stories. My sides soon ached from laughing, and I couldn't remember when I'd had so much fun. It felt so natural it was almost unnerving, since the four of us enjoyed our meal together like we'd all been friends for years.

When the food was gone, the waitress returned with the dessert tray and Alice's eyes grew wide with excitement. She chose a rich caramel cheesecake for her and Jasper to share, and then the waitress turned to Edward. "How about you, sir, does anything look good?" she asked, leaning in closer than necessary to display the cleavage spilling from her shirt.

"Oh, uh… Bella, do you want anything?" Edward asked awkwardly.

The wine had made me bold, so I leaned in close and planted a soft kiss on his neck. "Yeah, baby, get us a slice of tiramisu for now, and an order of chocolate mousse… to go," I said in my best sultry voice as I stroked his face. Alice giggled, and Jasper's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Edward stiffened and closed his eyes as he inhaled sharply. "Um. Yeah, what she said," he said brusquely to the waitress, who huffed and left to get our order. Edward let out his breath slowly, but kept his eyes closed as he leaned his head back against the booth. "Shit, Bella. What the fuck was that?"

I grinned and returned to my own half of the bench. "I figured I owed you a save, that's all." I sipped my wine triumphantly as Edward seemed to still be composing himself.

Jasper chuckled, seeming to enjoy Edward's discomfort. He opened his mouth to comment but Edward glared at him and he promptly shut it again. It almost seemed like they were having their own silent argument.

The waitress soon returned and set down the desserts without a word, including the box of what I assumed was chocolate mousse. My mouth watered at the sight of the decadent tiramisu, and I offered Edward a fork. "Do you want some? I swear I don't have any diseases."

He took the fork and scooped up a bite. I tried to be subtle as I watched his lips close around the dessert, but a glance at Alice told me she had noticed my preoccupation. Shit, she was definitely going to bring that up later.

The light-hearted atmosphere returned as we shared our desserts and finished the wine, with Edward and I fighting playfully over the last bite of cake. Jasper fed Alice the last morsel of cheesecake and then kissed her deeply in what looked like an attempt to retrieve it. Edward groaned and threatened them with his glass of ice water, and they broke apart with matching sheepish expressions.

When the check came, Edward quickly took out his wallet and put his card in the folder, waving off attempts by Alice and I to chip in until I reminded him about my legal obligation to pay for myself. Jasper didn't make a move, and it was becoming quite clear that he was accustomed to Edward paying for things.

Alice, never one to be shy about awkward topics, spoke up first. "So I've got to ask. Sorry, Jazz, but this is really weird for me – does Edward really just pay for everything? I'm just kind of intrigued by this relationship you've got going on here."

Jasper visibly deflated, hanging his head a little. "I'm working on my music, and I get some gigs here and there, but money is tight, you know, and..." he trailed off, fiddling with his water glass.

Edward spoke up confidently to rescue his distressed friend. "It's kind of evolved this way. I don't mind, I've never had to worry about money or anything. We don't really make a big deal about it." He shrugged, leaving '_and you shouldn't either_' lingering in the air unsaid.

Alice took the hint and shut up, busying herself with whispering dirty talk in Jasper's ear instead. The waitress came back with Edward's and my credit card slips, and we made our way to the parking lot. Alice and Jasper clung to each other's hands as if they didn't want the night to end, but I kept a grip on her wrist so she couldn't ditch me again.

"Thank you for the evening," I said politely. "It turned out to be really fun."

"I had a good time too," Edward replied, then hesitated. "Maybe when this court thing is over -"

I interrupted before he could get more specific, not wanting to make a promise I couldn't keep. "Um… yeah, who knows." I smiled encouragingly and dragged Alice towards her car. "Goodnight, Jasper, it was nice to talk to you a little," I said with a teasing grin.

Jasper called his goodnights as well, and blew Alice a kiss before we got in the car and were out of their sight range. "Okay, first of all, tell me the truth - did you guys fuck in this car?" I asked, letting my irritation with her show. "Because number one – gross, and number two – should I be sitting on a plastic bag right now?"

Alice smiled nervously. "No, we didn't, I swear. And I told you, we really had a flat tire, and I'm really sorry."

"Yeah, you're sorry, you're always so sorry," I grumbled, buckling my seat belt.

Alice looked truly remorseful as she pulled her car out of the parking lot and headed for home. "Bella, I really am. I feel terrible about leaving you alone, and I promise I won't let it happen again."

I rubbed my forehead in frustration. "Okay, fine. But you owe me, for real. That was _so _not what I came for – you promised me that I could get to know Jasper, and then you guys just made out the entire movie and almost bailed on dinner! You need to spend the weekend locked up in bed and get it out of your system, so you can make it through a date and jump each others' bones in the privacy of your room like a normal couple."

"Mmm, you're preaching to the choir, B. But he was my first and we screwed like rabbits in high school, so..." Alice smiled nostalgically.

"Again with the TMI! Go, have a sex marathon, you clearly haven't lost the chemistry. But make sure I'm nowhere in the area when you do." I smiled and elbowed her.

"So… speaking of chemistry -" She raised her eyebrows at me quickly before turning back to the road. "What on earth was that business with Edward tonight, Isabella Marie?"

I blushed. "I don't know what you mean – we were just talking until you guys got there, and then he saved me from a creepy guy last week in the bar so I thought I would return the favor. Plus, that waitress was totally rude, she had it coming," I rationalized.

"Um, you're forgetting the part where he called you beautiful and kissed your hand, and the part where you were watching him eat that tiramisu like you wished your nipples were the fork."

I swatted her arm. "Ew! Stop projecting your horniness on me. I'm not going to deny he's hot, but it's not even a remote possibility. We have to be on opposite sides of the courtroom very soon."

"Well then, he's missing out, Bella. You 're quite a catch – if I swung that way, I'd totally hook up with you," Alice said with a laugh.

"I'm glad Jasper has you off the market for now, then," I joked back.

"Maybe even for good," Alice whispered.

I whipped my head to the left to look at her, and took in the small secret smile on her face. "Are you serious? Are you guys even exclusive yet?"

"Yeah, we talked about it tonight. It was so cute, he said he had asked me to be his girlfriend once and made a terrible mistake by letting me go, and he was a man who learned from his mistakes." Alice seemed to melt at the memory.

"That's sweet, but you just met him again last week! Do you really think this could be it for you?" I was torn between swooning at the romance of it all, and worrying that my impetuous friend was moving too quickly.

She was silent as she pulled into our garage and turned off the car, then turned to face me. "I think he might be the one, B. The only thing I have to get past is this whole weird dependent relationship with Edward. I mean, we're adults now. At least Jasper's not living in his mom's basement, but he may as well be living in Edward's. I mean, it's a little weird, right?"

I nodded. "Edward is odd like that too, it's like they never fully grew up or something. They're still living in their fratboy fantasy."

"The lack of ambition is a big turn-off." Alice sighed and looked troubled for a moment. "We'll have to talk about it at some point, before things get serious. Right now, though, I'm just going to relax and enjoy the chemistry." Alice wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as we both laughed.

I reached for the door handle, but Alice made no move to get out of the car and I froze. "You're going over there right now, aren't you?" I said, not at all surprised.

"Um… yeah. I've got a fuckhot man waiting to rock my world, so get out of my car so I can get going! Unless you want to come with and hang out with Edward some more…" She nudged me and I shook my head.

"That would be a bad idea on so many levels. But have fun, Ali – I'm really happy for you." I got out of the car and waved as she drove off, trying not to laugh as her tires screeched on the way out of the garage.

I slowly walked to the apartment door, pondering the events of the day. Even though I was nothing but happy for Alice, I couldn't help but feel a little sad that there was no one special waiting for me that night. Well, no one but my trusty vibrator.

I went about my nightly routine in our quiet apartment and curled up in bed with a book, denying the inevitable until I couldn't take it anymore. I got out my toy, closed my eyes, and allowed myself to imagine a world where Edward and I weren't enemies. We went back to his (non-trashed up) house together with our takeout container of mousse and took turns applying it to strategic places on each others' bodies. As my fantasy continued, we licked off the chocolate until our need for each other was too great to deny, and he slid inside of me with a desperate moan.

I said his name as I came hard, and went to sleep dreaming that I was snuggled safely in Edward's arms.

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><p><strong>*blushes* Well then… there's that. <strong>

**How many of you are relieved that Bella knows the 'truth' about Victoria? I know I am. I'd love to hear what you thought - any comment is much appreciated. If you want to find me on Twitter, I'm mamabean30 over there.**

**See you next Wednesday!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks so much to everyone who reads and reviews, week after week. I continue to be blown away by the response, and I love hearing from you all!**

**A truckload full of thanks to my prereaders BookishQua and Twilover76, and also to my amazing beta Detochkina. They all make my writing so much better, and they are fabulous authors themselves – go read! **

**As much as I love Edward and Bella… they belong to SM, not me.**

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><p><em>Edward<em>

_._

I woke up the next morning startled by the smell of something burning. Jumping out of bed wearing only my boxers, I ran downstairs, worried that Jasper was trying to cook again. I was sure he'd learned his lesson after the spaghetti omelet incident, when he tried to mix two of his favorite foods and made a giant burned mess in the frying pan.

To my shock, Alice was standing over a charred griddle looking panicked, and I was suddenly very aware of my lack of clothing. She yelped when she noticed me, looking a little embarrassed herself since she was wearing Jasper's t-shirt and a pair of his boxers. I flipped off the burner and told her not to touch anything, then headed back for my bedroom to get a t-shirt and lounge pants.

When I got back to the kitchen, she was scraping forlornly at the burnt bread on the stove. "I'm so sorry, Edward! I was trying to make French toast. I've seen Bella do it so many times, but I've never actually done it and I must have done something wrong."

"It's fine, Alice." I said, taking some frozen waffles out of the freezer and moving towards the toaster oven. "Jasper and I don't do a lot of cooking, so we've got plenty of this stuff on hand."

"Yeah, I saw that – not that I was snooping or anything – but I just wanted to do something special for him. You know how they say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach," she said sadly.

"Eh, I think the way to a man's heart is through his dick, and since you're here this morning I'm willing to bet you're doing just fine," I joked.

Alice gaped at me for a few moments, then smirked and shook her head. "Wow, you don't hold back, do you? Bella's right, you're quite an ass."

At least Jasper's girl had a sense of humor. "So, Bella does most of the cooking at your place?" I casually inquired. I wanted as many details as possible about the woman who intrigued me so, even if I couldn't have her. Yet. I was holding on to that 'yet'.

"Yeah, she's a great cook. You can always tell what kind of day she had by what she makes for dinner, so that's kind of fun." She cocked her head at me. "I'm probably overstepping by telling you this, but the first day she met you she cooked fettuccine alfredo."

"Hmm, that sounds like a good sign," I said. Italian food was delicious, so it had to mean she liked me, right?

Alice laughed. "No, that meant she was pissed off. When she's mad she cooks food with lots of carbs and not a lot of variety. On a good day, she makes more colorful things like lemon chicken with herb-fried asparagus or this amazing vegetable curry."

Well, that wasn't good news. Now I had to figure out how to get Bella to cook happy food. "How long have you guys lived together?" I asked, trying not to sound too invasive.

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Edward Cullen, are you fishing for information about my best friend?"

"No, just trying to make conversation." I quickly turned my attention to doctoring up my waffles with butter and syrup.

"Oh, well then, let me tell you about the artist we have showing at the gallery starting next week. She's not very well known yet, but she does some really interesting found art sculpture. I hear you're interested in that." Alice's eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Oh really?" I said, trying to feign interest. "That sounds… great, I'll have to check it out. What gallery is it again?"

Alice giggled. "I'm just messing with you, Edward. I know you have a crush on Bella."

"What? No! I mean, she's my building inspector. Even if she's really beautiful, and smart, and sexy…"

"Oh my _God_ – you _love_ her!" Alice bounced up and down with excitement, and since Jasper was my best friend, I averted my eyes once I noticed she wasn't wearing a bra.

Speaking of Jasper, he ambled into the kitchen yawning and rubbing his face. He was shirtless, but at least he had put on pajama pants. He lazily kissed Alice good morning, then scratched his stomach and looked confused. "Who does Edward love?"

"Edward loves Bella," Alice sang, then leaned in for another kiss. Jasper happily obliged her, a little too enthusiastically for my taste so early in the morning. I did my best to ignore the display by shoving the last bite of waffle into my mouth and rinsing my plate in the sink.

When they finally broke apart, my roommate looked at me. "So Bella, huh? You finally decided to admit that you're completely hung up on her, and I wasn't the first to know? I'm hurt, bro."

"Ugh, I'm not in love with Bella. You two with your lovey-dovey shit… keep it to yourselves. No need to project on me, thank you very much." The couple smiled at each other dreamily, but I interrupted them as their lips were heading in for another wrestling match. "Jeez, give it a rest! Besides, I've got bigger problems right now than trying to snag a girl who hates me."

"What's up, E? What girl could possibly hate a great guy like you?" Emmett walked into the kitchen carrying a large box of donuts that appeared to be about half-gone.

"Good morning, Emmett. Are you just walking into my house without knocking now?" I said in irritation. I really didn't care that much, but I figured Emmett could handle some of my overflow pissiness.

Emmett shrugged. "I brought donuts, dude. And I did knock, but no one answered."

"Yeah, how long did you knock?" I was skeptical.

"I don't know, like twice or something." He grabbed another donut from the box and took a huge bite, then stopped chewing as he noticed Alice. "Mmph, wzot hvmh wmh hmph?"

We looked at him in confusion, and he swallowed loudly. "I said, what have we here?"

Jasper put his arm around Alice, trying to retain as much dignity as he could when the two of them had one full outfit between them. "Emmett, I'm pleased to introduce my girlfriend, Alice Brandon." Alice held out her hand with a grin.

"Girlfriend? When did this happen? Congrats, bro. Nice to meet you, Alice. Want a donut?"

Alice selected a frosted cruller. "Thanks… Emmett, right? Nice to meet you too. And it happened last night."

"Woah, that's more information than I needed… but way to get laid, bro!" Emmett held up his hand to high-five Jasper, who shot him a glare instead. "Now we've just got to get this guy out of his dry spell," he said, jerking a thumb in my direction. "So what's going on, E was saying something about a girl who hates him?"

Damn, I was hoping he'd been distracted by meeting Alice... and the donuts. "No, there's no girl, and I don't want one." My angry stare challenged Jasper and Alice to say differently, and thankfully they both kept quiet.

"What about that chick you were obsessing about the other day? The building inspector, Bella Swan, right?" Emmett normally had a terrible memory, so I wasn't sure why he had picked today to have complete recall of every detail of our conversations.

Alice laughed. "I know, right? He's totally in love with her." Emmett looked at her quizzically, and she elaborated further. "Bella's my best friend, and we've been roommates for a long time. Actually, she's totally -" She clapped her hand over her mouth abruptly, and then switched gears. "Um... so, Emmett, what do you do?"

Emmett looked a little surprised, but he loved to talk about his work. "I'm a contractor. I actually met Bella when she was shadowing one of the other guys at one of my sites."

Alice made a sour face. "Ugh, those guys were such assholes to her. I'm so glad she doesn't have to work with them anymore – I must have gained ten pounds from all the Italian food she cooked while she was training."

Emmett's eyes lit up. "Bella cooks? E, you've got to hook up with this chick, pronto. We need some good home cookin' up in here," he said, rubbing his belly.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Why don't you ask your own damn fiancee to cook for you?"

"Um... yeah. Rose doesn't cook much," Emmett replied sadly. "She orders some mean take-out, though."

Alice giggled. "I don't cook either, but Bella is awesome at it, so we'll have you over for dinner sometime."

I perked up at that thought. "Really?" I said, before realizing I should have toned down the pathetic hopefulness in my tone.

Emmett stared at me. "Dude, you've got it bad."

"Shut the fuck up, man. I've got bigger things to worry about than getting some chick to like me right now."

Alice looked offended. "Hey now, Bella is not just some chick, Edward. And you love her, even though you don't want to admit it."

"I don't fucking love her, okay? I'm trying to tell you guys that I've got other shit to deal with, and you're not fucking listening!" I stomped my foot like a four year old, and immediately felt foolish.

Jasper snickered. "Well obviously you've got PMS, so that's something to be concerned about."

Emmett held up his hand for a high-five again, and this time Jasper slapped it.

"Argh!" I yelled. Spotting the stack of papers on the counter that was causing me so much stress, I violently shoved them off the counter, feeling somewhat satisfied when they scattered all over floor. "This is what I'm fucking worried about, all right? Not a fucking girlfriend."

Jasper leaned over and picked up some of the papers, skimming them quickly. "Wait, did Victoria come to see you again?"

"Yes, and she brought a lawsuit. I would have told you if I could get your lips to detach from your girlfriend's for two seconds," I said snidely, but then felt bad when Alice looked crushed. "I'm sorry, I'm happy for you guys. It's just that either Victoria's an evil lying bitch, or I'm going to have a new baby sibling, and I don't know how to find out for sure. It's driving me nuts."

Jasper looked up from the documents in his hand. "Honey, you're a girl, right?" Alice gave him a withering look. "Um, I mean… yeah. Of course. Anyway, is it possible to be pregnant and not know it for four months?"

Alice shrugged. "I think it's rare, but it happens occasionally. Why, who's pregnant?" She looked nervous suddenly, like she was wondering if Jasper could have a kid on the way.

"Edward's almost-evil-stepmother," Emmett said helpfully, but she just looked more confused.

Jasper brought her up to speed on my potential half-sibling, while I talked to Emmett about what to do. "I don't know, man, she had a fucking ultrasound picture and everything. Maybe I should call up her doctor and play the lawyer card, see how much information I can get?"

"Do you even know who her lady doctor is? How are you going to get that number?" Emmett asked.

"He could always tell her he needs to see someone for his PMS," Jasper cut in as I smacked him on the chest.

"I don't know… maybe Alice could run into her at the mall or something and strike up a conversation?" I asked, half-kidding but hoping she'd take me up on it.

"Sorry, I'd like to help, but sharing gyno information is usually only done between friends," Alice said with a laugh.

"Okay, so let's think of a new plan," I said eagerly. "Emmett, you can pretend to be a contractor and get into the apartment below hers, and then we can break through the floor and tap into the plumbing system and intercept her pee so we can do a pregnancy test. That should work, right?"

Three sets of amused and bewildered eyes stared at me, until I broke out laughing. "Okay, okay, we won't do that. Other brilliant ideas?"

Jasper shrugged. "You could find some kind of a photo expert to look at that ultrasound picture. Or at least show it to a doctor or something."

"She didn't leave me a copy, but maybe I could break into her apartment… okay, I'm kidding. But maybe I could tell her I want one? Ugh, but I hate talking to her."

Alice spoke up. "Aren't you a lawyer? If you can be a legal pain in Bella's ass, isn't there some way you can force her to take a pregnancy test or release her medical records or something?"

"Yeah, I have to file a motion. I'll do it this week, but I just really want to know now." My conversation with Bella last night had brought things into focus, and more than ever I wanted to find out if I was going to be a brother or not. Once I knew what was going on, I could figure out how to deal with it.

Jasper reached out and patted my arm. "I know, buddy. She's a bitch, and the whole situation just sucks. Let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?"

The others echoed his words, and I felt a little better knowing my friends were behind me. "Thanks, guys." I grabbed a donut and headed for the TV room. "Come on, Em. You haven't been around these two yet, but they can't go more than thirty seconds without slobbering all over each other. I say we escape before they start fucking right here on the counter," I joked.

Jasper gave me a dirty look but grabbed Alice's hand and led her back up the stairs towards his room.

"Keep it down!" I yelled after them, since the house was big but not completely soundproof. To be safe, I flipped on ESPN and turned the volume up high.

I tried to get interested in the replays of the ball games the day before, but Emmett kept staring at me. Finally I threw down the remote in frustration. "What?"

Emmett shrugged. "I've just never seen you so hung up on a woman before, man. It's good to see."

"Why does everyone think I'm obsessed with Bella Swan? She's just a hot building inspector, I don't…" I was going to insist I didn't give a fuck about her, but somehow I couldn't finish my sentence. "I'm not hung up on her." It was still a lie, but not as harsh of one.

"Um… yeah you are," Emmett said. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want, but at least admit that you like the girl."

"Well… even if I did, it doesn't matter. I completely fucked up her job with this appeal stuff, so I can't imagine she'd want to date me now. Plus, I have no fucking clue how to even have a relationship, so it's not like I can fix things." I threw my hands up in frustration.

Emmett looked at me thoughtfully. I detested the idea of taking relationship advice from anyone, but I did need help, and he'd been with Rose for quite a while. Was he actually going to come out and make me ask?

"All I'm saying, man, is that I'm here if you want to talk about it," Emmett said, before turning back to the TV.

"I don't," I replied abruptly, and Emmett nodded without looking back at me. I sighed. "Okay, well, let's pretend I did like her."

Emmett politely did his best to hide his smile. "You mean, hypothetically?"

"Yeah, just a hypothetical situation. I mean, it makes total sense for me to like her – which I don't – because she's beautiful and smart, fun and sexy as hell. I had such a great time with her last night, and-"

"Wait, you saw her last night?" he interrupted.

"I did," I said with a wide grin. I filled him in on the night before – showing up at the movie, being pissed at Jasper but also grateful that I got to spend time with Bella, and the conversation we had while waiting for our friends to show up. Once I opened my mouth, it seemed to all come spilling out, and I told him how I was worried I had completely screwed things up, to the point where she could never forgive me for filing all those appeals.

He listened carefully, although the TV was still on full blast to mask any potential noise coming from Jasper's room. If Alice became a frequent overnight guest, I'd definitely have to look into soundproofing the place.

When I finally stopped talking, Emmett looked perplexed. "So what have you done to fix it?" he asked.

"Fix it? What do you mean?"

"Well, if you really like this girl, can't you take back your appeal and clean up the shit in your front yard? And those other clients… you convinced them to appeal, now can't you convince them to drop their cases?" Emmett stated simply.

I felt foolish as I thought about his suggestion - it seemed so obvious. However, despite how much I wanted Bella to like me, my whole being rebelled at the thought of just rolling over and giving in to my pushy neighbors and the city court. Also, I had a duty to the people I had signed up as my clients – I had to represent their cases to the best of my ability.

"I don't know if it's that simple, Em," I said. "But maybe there's something I can do…"

We lapsed into silence, as Emmett became absorbed in the Mariners game and I got lost in my thoughts. Soon the breakfast donuts had worn off and Emmett's bottomless pit of a stomach was grumbling, so we decided to order some hoagies for lunch. Just as we were about to call, Alice and Jasper came down the stairs looking freshly showered and quite relaxed.

"So, you've emerged from the love-cave, huh?" Emmett teased. "Need some fuel? We were just about to order." He held up the menu.

Jasper shook his head. "No thanks, we're going to head out and have a picnic. You're welcome to come…"

I glared at him. "Because that was so fun last time?"

He shrugged apologetically. "Or not, I understand."

Emmett looked stunned. "But, Jasper, you're going to miss the whole Mariners game!"

Jasper looked at Alice, and his smile said that he didn't mind a bit. "You can fill me in later, Em. We're gonna head out, so say hi to Rose for me."

"Yeah, okay," Emmett paused for a second, then his face brightened with an idea. "Hey, since you guys are a couple now, we should do something sometime, like a double date or something."

Alice smiled shyly as Jasper nodded. "Sure, that would be fun. Just let us know when, yeah?" He waved goodbye as they stepped out the door, their hands still entwined.

Emmett smirked at me. "I'm so going to get laid for that later. Rose is always asking to do shit with other couples, and this is the first time I could set something up with one of my friends, instead of the guys she knows from the garage." He continued to look pleased with himself as he called to order our food, and settled back in his chair with a happy sigh.

When did this happen? Emmett had been with Rose for a while, but all of the sudden Jasper wasn't the same guy anymore. Being surrounded by perfect happy cuddly couples all the time was going to get old really fucking quick. I fumed quietly as I sat there pretending to pay attention to the baseball game, and got up to get our food when the doorbell rang.

Emmett and I watched the rest of the game without a lot of conversation, besides his occasional jeers at the referees and attaboys to the players. When the final strike was called, he got up and brushed off the crumbs from his meatball hoagie and jumbo bag of potato chips. "Well, E, I've got to get going. Rose and I are going to Home Depot to look at some light fixtures for the dining room. Do you want to come with?" he invited awkwardly.

I chuckled and shook my head. "No thanks, dude. But you have fun with all of that."

"Are you sure?" he teased. "I'm pretty sure Rose could find a hot friend to invite, and then she and I could make out the whole time so you could get to know her friend. I hear that's the best way to meet people these days."

"Yeah, I'll pass, smartass. But thanks." I saluted Emmett as he left, just for the hell of it, and with nothing better to do I cleaned up our mess from lunch. Since everything was disposable it only took a minute or two, and then I was left alone in an eerily quiet house.

I couldn't pinpoint why the solitude felt different this time. Even though Jasper wasn't always around, I had always been sure he was coming back. Not that he would move out tomorrow, but now the possibility was there. I ran my hands through my hair before flipping on the radio for some ambient noise.

I spent the rest of the afternoon working out, including some serious time taking out my frustrations on the punching bag. When Jasper and Alice didn't return, I microwaved some frozen lasagna and ate by myself at the kitchen table. I felt restless and pissed off, yet I didn't understand why, and that just served to irritate me further. I started to wonder if Bella would ever make me lasagna and how hers would taste so much better than this processed shit, but I squashed those thoughts down almost as quickly as they came.

After cleaning up dinner, which consisted of tossing the plastic tray in the garbage and putting my fork in the dishwasher, I found myself at the computer in my office. I got a call from a telemarketer, but I just hung up instead of messing with them like I usually would. After doing some research on family law I figured out what I needed to do to force Victoria to take a pregnancy test on the court record, but even that didn't make me feel any better.

Finally I opened a notebook and started writing down details of the cases I had appealed, to try to see if any other solution presented itself. Slowly, I came up with a plan and I could feel my mood lift as I continued to write. After a few hours, I had a good idea of how to remedy the situation, but I had a lot to get done before the court date in two weeks.

I watched a little more TV before bed, including the highlights from the baseball game that I had missed with my musings earlier. I only got slightly annoyed when I got a text from Jasper saying he was staying at Alice's, and I headed for bed feeling much better about my chances for the next day.

In the morning, I woke up still feeling good about my plan, and also very aroused at the chance that I might succeed and make Bella mine. I headed straight for the shower, wanting to make myself presentable for my errands and relieve some pressure. As I soaped up my body, I closed my eyes and remembered Bella's soft words as I sat next to her in the restaurant booth. I began to stroke myself and imagined that I had followed through with my intense desire to kiss her right then. I was sure her lips would have been soft and yet strong as she held her own while I kissed her, and the fact that she wouldn't yield to me easily only made me want her more.

My mind ran wild with images of Bella in my bed, naked and writhing underneath my mouth as my lips became intimately acquainted with every inch of her. She pushed me backwards and began sucking on my skin, working her way downwards until her tongue reached the place where I was achingly hard for her. My fantasy had barely reached the point where her lips closed around me when my orgasm rocked through my body, and I sighed as watched the evidence swirl down the drain.

Feeling much more relaxed, I finished my shower and got dressed quickly, just barely refraining from whistling. I had several stops to make, and some parts of my plan might take a few days to come to fruition, so I wanted to get started right away.

I poured a bowl of Lucky Charms and smiled at the little stars and rainbows as I added the milk. I had just taken the first delicious bite when Jasper came in the door with tousled hair and a wide grin that gave away the fact that he had just rolled out of a beautiful woman's bed.

"Hey, dude. How was your night?" he asked.

"Obviously not as exciting as yours, man, but it was okay. I think I got some things figured out, so that was good. What are you doing here so early? I assumed you'd still be snuggled up with your lady friend."

Jasper groaned. "I wish, man, but she had to go to work."

Oh. That made sense – Bella had to work too. Obviously it had been too long since I held a real job… like never, to be completely honest. Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, "Did you see Bella?"

He eyed me carefully, like he was an overprotective father trying to judge my intentions. "Yeah."

"Well don't tell me too much about her or anything," I retorted, my words dripping with sarcasm.

Jasper fidgeted. "Sorry, bro, it's just that Alice is really protective of Bella and she doesn't want her to get hurt."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize that your girlfriend of two days had more sway than someone who's been your best friend for years." I snorted, starting to feel pissed off again.

"E, don't be like that. Of course you're my best friend, and I know it's only been a few days since I met her again, but I loved her before and I don't think I ever stopped. Since she wants Bella to be safe, so do I," Jasper said defensively.

I was kind of shocked that he pulled out the 'L' word so soon, but I didn't show it. "Yeah, yeah…" I waved him off as I finished my cereal and rinsed out the bowl. I had planned on having at least seconds or thirds, but I'd lost my appetite. "Look, I've got to get going. I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah…" Jasper looked a little sad as I headed out the door, but I shook it off and got back to my plans for the day. When it came time for me to have my day in court, I was damn well going to be ready for it.

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><p><strong>So, poor Edward's getting lonely... and what's he planning? I'd love to hear what you thought – every review makes me smile, and I reply as long as you have PM's turned on. If you want to find me on Twitter, I'm mamabean30 over there.<strong>

**See you next Wednesday!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks and hugs, as always, to my fabulous prereaders BookishQua and Twilover76. My beautiful beta Detochkina deserves so much thanks as well - she not only tells me what to fix, but why to fix it! They are all stupendous authors themselves – go read! **

**In case you were confused, the characters belong to SM, not me.**

**A lot of you were feeling sorry for poor lonely Edward last week – let's see what he's planning…**

* * *

><p><em>Bella<em>

_._

On a Tuesday morning just over two weeks after my unexpected dinner with Edward, I woke up early to the now-familiar sound of my best friend getting screwed senseless in the next room. I had taken to falling asleep at night with my earbuds in, playing music to drown out the noise, but the plastic never stayed in my ears all night long. Especially if I was restlessly dreaming about a certain pain-in-the-ass lawyer with gorgeous green eyes.

Usually, if Alice and Jasper found the need to loudly wish each other good morning, I could replace my earbuds and start my playlist over to get a little more sleep, but I had a sinking feeling that was not going to work today. The butterflies in my stomach had clocked in already, and I was pretty sure they would be earning overtime. I hadn't seen Edward Cullen since our accidental movie/dinner not-quite double date, but today I had to face him in court on not one, but six cases.

I was prepared, of course. In my head, I understood that my citations were sound and completely defensible, my evidence was in order, and I had every expectation that I would win each case. However, I couldn't shake my nerves, or the feeling that this day would be extremely important to the future of my career.

After a few minutes of tossing and turning and trying to ignore the thumping and groaning from Alice's room, I gave up and got out of bed to head for the bathroom. For the umpteenth time, I was glad Alice and I had paid a little more for an apartment with en-suite bathrooms for each of us, so I didn't have to risk running into Jasper in a state of undress.

I pondered the situation as I started the shower – if this went on much longer we would need to set some ground rules. I didn't mind Jasper at all, but the loud sex at all hours of the day was getting old fast. The biggest problem was that they slept here most nights to make it easy for Alice to get ready for work in the morning, so maybe I would start by hinting that they switch things up a little and stay at Edward's house once in a while.

It wasn't that I was jealous of my roommate's newly fantastic sex life. At all.

Okay, maybe I was a teeny, tiny, itsy bit jealous. But still, the situation needed to be dealt with, and fast. Our biggest roommate blow-up had arisen when I threw out some of her magazines without knowing she wanted to save the perfume samples, and that was resolved in a few minutes flat, so I was hopeful we could solve this too.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I was grateful to find that the porno noises emanating from Alice's room seemed to have stopped. I started brewing a full pot of coffee, figuring that the lovebirds would emerge soon, and pondered what to make for breakfast. I had extra time, and since I was so nervous I wanted something sweet. I cut up strawberries and stirred in blueberries too, then mixed up some eggs, milk and cinnamon and sliced the bread for French toast. I felt myself relaxing as I focused on the mundane task of cooking breakfast and sipping my cup of coffee. Humming softly, I put some bacon in a pan to fry also, snickering to myself that Jasper and Alice would probably need some protein after their morning tryst.

Jasper emerged from Alice's room first, and ambled to the coffee maker to pour a cup for him and one for Alice. "Good morning, Bella," he said, yawning. He attempted to unobtrusively look over my shoulder to see what I was cooking, and if there was enough to share.

"Good morning, Jasper. Breakfast should be ready in just a minute. Do you like French toast?" I smiled in spite of myself. However annoying the sex noises were, I loved Alice dearly and Jasper made her very happy. Plus, I was growing fond of his carefree smile and casual demeanor – he was naturally easy to be around.

"Thank you kindly, ma'am." Jasper brought his hand to his head like he was tipping a cowboy hat. I giggled at his silly southern cowboy routine, which I had learned popped up often and went away as quickly as it came.

Alice strode into the kitchen in search of coffee, and smiled sweetly when Jasper handed her a mug. Then she got a look at what I was cooking. "Oh, sweetheart, don't be nervous," she said as she gave me a hug with the arm that didn't have a death grip on her coffee cup. "Everything will be fine, and you'll kick his ass – I just know it."

We both glanced at Jasper, since it was his best friend I was about to do battle with, but he didn't look disturbed. I flipped the French toast and checked the bacon as Alice sat next to Jasper at our breakfast bar.

"So, Jazz, baby?" Alice said sweetly.

"Yes, honeylove?" Jasper said back, his tone so syrupy that we all laughed.

"Do you know anything about what Edward is planning today? If you knew something, you'd tell me, right?" Alice batted her eyes.

"Of course I would, darlin'" Jasper said, kissing Alice on the top of her head. "Which is why Edward hasn't told me anything about what he's got up his sleeve," he finished with a chuckle.

I fixed three plates of food and spooned on the fresh berries, tamping down the nervous flutters that arose in my stomach at the mention of his name. Once I had handed over plates to Alice and Jasper, who dug into the food with gusto, I sat down with my own breakfast.

"Bella, this is delicious, I can't even…" Jasper took another bite of food as Alice nodded her agreement.

"Thanks guys. Now I just have to do as well on the court cases today," I joked.

Jasper looked at me seriously. "Bella, everything will be fine. Edward has been working on something, and he won't tell me what it is, but I don't think it's anything bad. You'll do great, I promise." His blue eyes stared me down, alight with concern, and Alice rubbed his arm in support.

"See, B? Nothing to worry about." Alice smiled and shoved the last bite of her breakfast into her already stuffed chipmunk cheeks, before running to her room to finish getting ready.

I moved to wash the dishes, and Jasper moved to my side to help dry. "Edward's a good friend, you know," he said conversationally.

I nodded, but didn't trust myself to speak. My thoughts on Edward Cullen were conflicted – I jumped from remaining angry at him for what he'd done to me, to feeling sorry for him on the loss of his father, to wanting to leap on him and rip his clothes off while he smirked that sexy half-smile at me. As much as I tried to deny it, after the nice time that we'd had a few weeks ago, I was hurt that he hadn't contacted me or made any effort to clear up the impending court mess. All he would have had to do was clean up his yard… the other cases were still there, but that one gesture would have gone a long way towards the forgiveness he had asked for.

"He really…" Jasper paused, seeming to consider his words carefully. "He gets carried away sometimes, I'm sure you can see that. But he really felt bad about what he did."

"I know that, he apologized to me," I reminded him. "But tell me something, Jasper. Is all that junk still in your yard?" He didn't answer, avoiding my eyes and shifting from one foot to the other. "That's what I thought. He must not be _that_ sorry, then," I said, not bothering to hide the bitterness in my tone.

"Look, Bella…" Jasper looked a little pained

"It's fine, really. He'll do what he has to do, and… so will I." Bolstered by this newfound determination, I handed the last dish to Jasper and went to my room to finish getting dressed. It was a guarantee that if I had put on my suit before cooking breakfast, I would have spilled strawberries all down the front.

I selected my favorite dark grey pinstripe skirt and jacket, along with a delicate ivory silk blouse. Once my hair was up in a simple twist and my clothes were perfectly straightened, I looked in the mirror and smiled at the confident, professional woman looking back at me. I was ready, and I could do this.

~~~~SiC~~~~

The small courtroom used for hearings still felt intimidating as I plunked down my file folders at the table next to Jacob. There was no jury, just a seat for the judge, a court reporter, and two tables as well as some chairs behind them for witnesses or observers. Jacob and I had our notes in front of us, neatly arranged and separated according to each case we'd be addressing.

Just before 9 am, when court was due to start, Edward walked into the room and sat at the other table, opening his expensive looking brown briefcase to reveal neatly organized file folders. I stole sly glances at him out of the corner of my eye, taking note of how handsome he looked in his dark-gray suit and red tie. As court was called to order, I caught him looking at me with an unreadable expression. I felt a twinge in my stomach, but quickly turned my eyes forward and listened carefully to the judge's introduction.

Jacob and I had decided that I would present our case, and I stood up to address the room. I avoided looking at Edward's table as I played a photo slideshow of his front yard and explained the section of the code in question, encouraged by the judge's slightly raised eyebrows when he saw the mess.

When I was finished, several neighbors had asked to make statements, and they were allowed to speak for five minutes each. They spoke at length about how they were completely traumatized by the trash outside Edward's house, and how he was ruining the neighborhood. Even though I thought the junk was annoying, I had to refrain from rolling my eyes. It wasn't like the world was going to end or anything.

The final commenter was Shelley Cope, the head of the neighborhood organization. She spoke with tears in her eyes about how everyone on the street loved their homes so much, and were heartbroken at the violation of their once safe, clean neighborhood. Dabbing at her eyes with a flowered handkerchief, she begged the judge to force the rogue homeowner to clean things up immediately. Listening to her talk, you'd think that Edward's odd assortment of junky furniture had resulted in the block being taken over by a street gang. I had to admit, I could see why Edward got a kick out of annoying these people.

Finally it was Edward's turn to speak, and he began to present his defense that all the stuff in his front yard was actually art sculptures. He showed pictures and summarized his artist's statement for each 'piece' and also had printed photos of more socially acceptable sculptures displayed by neighbors on the block. He wrapped up his comments with an intelligently-worded argument that the art should be allowed as an expression of his right to free speech, and asked the judge to dismiss the citation and the fine.

The whole hearing took about an hour and a half, and the judge declared a brief recess to consider the verdict. Jacob smiled at me and leaned in to quietly reassure me that I had done a good job, and I caught Edward looking at me intensely. Thanking Jacob, I headed out into the hallway in search of a drink of water, more to kill time than because I was actually thirsty.

I stood up from the drinking fountain, turned around and jumped, surprised to see Edward standing close behind me. "Hello, Mr. Cullen," I said in my most professional tone.

"Hello, _Inspector _Swan," he replied, emphasizing my title with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "I'm looking for a friend I thought was over here. Her name is Bella, have you seen her? You have the same last name, so you might possibly be related. She didn't have that angry wrinkle in her forehead, though..."

His glib words brought my anger boiling to the surface. "I'm sorry, she must have left," I snapped. "I think I heard her saying something about professional boundaries, and maybe muttering about lazy, spoiled rich kids who can't clean up their yards? I can't be sure." I smirked and tossed my head. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to court."

Edward stepped in front of me, keeping a careful distance but blocking my path. "Come on, Bella, please don't be upset," he pleaded, his eyes searching mine for a hint of the camaraderie we'd shared a few weeks before.

"Until your house is in compliance with Seattle City Code, I'm Inspector Swan," I reminded him, my voice icy cold. "You're the one who's forcing me into this role, and if you really wanted to be my friend, you would have done something to end this before it got so far. It's perfectly clear that what's most important to you is your own ego, so I'll see you back in the courtroom, _Mr. Cullen_."

I brushed past him, avoiding his eyes, and strode confidently down the hall. I took my seat beside Jacob and examined my notes, ignoring the other side of the room when Edward entered and sat down. The judge returned soon afterwards.

"Mr. Cullen, this court hereby concurs that your house is in violation of Title 21, Chapter 36, paragraph 425 A of the Seattle Municipal Code and you have no desire or intent to rectify the situation. As to your claim that the refuse in question is artistic sculpture, you have no history as an artist and have not provided any basis for belief that this is anything other than a blatant attempt to skirt the City code. Therefore, the court upholds the citation issued by Inspector Isabella Swan, along with the fine of $750.

"You are hereby notified that you have 14 days to remove the refuse from your property, otherwise it will be removed at the order of the city at a cost detailed in the court ruling, and added to your property taxes as a special assessment. A copy of this ruling will be mailed to your residence via certified mail…"

The judge explained the procedure to Edward, who looked to be listening with resignation. I fought hard to keep a victorious smile from my face, although it got easier to stay serious when I remembered I still had five more cases to go. I started going over the case files in my head as the judge wrapped up his statements and announced a five minute recess before the next case would be called. Not wanting to risk another hallway confrontation with Edward, I decided to stay put and confer with Jacob to prepare.

The next case was the widow, Mrs. Clearwater, whose house was in serious need of a paint job. It was the citation I was most conflicted about, because she genuinely wanted to paint her house, she just couldn't afford to do it. Regardless of my personal feelings, though, my job was to issue the citation and defend it.

When the clerk called the case, the older woman stood up from the observation area and went to sit next to Edward. He spoke to her briefly, then stood up and asked to make a statement. The judge consented, and Edward began, "My client, Sue Clearwater, wishes to drop her appeal at this time on the condition that the City agrees to waive the fine and extend her redemption period from 30 to 60 days. Mrs. Clearwater has limited financial means but was able to connect with a nonprofit that completes home repairs for seniors. They have accepted her application and are scheduled to paint her house, but due to a large number of requests they will not be able to schedule the work within the originally allotted 30 day time period."

The judge turned to Jacob. "Is the City agreeable to the time extension and a waiver of the fine?"

Jacob looked surprised, but stood and nodded. "Yes, Your Honor, that seems quite reasonable."

"Very well then," the judge said. "The citation will be altered and a new one will be mailed via certified mail. After 60 days, Mrs. Clearwater, your home will be inspected again to ensure the work has been completed and the citation has been cleared. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Honor," the woman replied, and the judge dismissed her and announced another five minute recess to prepare for the next case.

I was taken aback but began rearranging my case files since it appeared that the Clearwater presentation wouldn't be necessary. As I shuffled papers, I listened closely as Mrs. Clearwater spoke to Edward.

"Thank you again for your help, Edward," she said, practically bouncing with happiness. "If you hadn't found that nonprofit, I'm not sure what I would have done. I'm looking forward to being proud of my home again, and when it's all done, you'll have to come over for dinner and see it," she added with a smile.

"Of course, Mrs. Clearwater. It's been a pleasure to work with you," Edward said as he shook her hand.

I glanced at him curiously, and he gave me a timid smile. I didn't return it, but I was definitely happy that he had helped the woman resolve her problem instead of simply fighting the citation.

To my shock, the next case proceeded in a similar fashion, with the homeowner having mysteriously found the resources to make the adjustments necessary to his building plans. Of the rest of the cases, only one of them was continuing with the appeal, so I made just one out of five of my prepared presentations. Even though I suspected that Edward had tried to get his client to resolve the case outside of court, he acted every bit the professional attorney, arguing his client's point of view eloquently and intelligently.

When the judge upheld the citation anyway, Edward explained to his client what would happen from there and what his options were. After the final case was finished and I was free to go several hours earlier than I had anticipated, it seemed that Edward lingered longer than necessary gathering his papers while Jacob and I packed up our things.

"Congratulations, Bella! That went very well – you did a great job," Jacob said with a smile. "Since we have a little free time, can I take you to lunch to celebrate?"

"Sure, that would be great," I said, torn between a desire to leave as soon as possible, and the guilty feeling that I should speak to Edward to acknowledge what he'd done. I made the mistake of glancing at his slightly sad expression, and the guilt won out. "Can I… I want to run these files back to the office and do one or two things – can I meet you in the lobby?"

"Sounds good, Bella. Actually-" he looked past me into the hall. "I think the mayor's aide just walked by and I've got to chat with him about something, so I'll see you out front in ten minutes or so." Jacob waved as he walked out the door, hurrying to catch up with the aide.

Edward and I stood in awkward silence while I packed up the rest of my things and he feigned intense interest in the latch of his briefcase.

"Look, Edward…" I began.

"Oh, am I 'Edward' again?" he teased pointedly.

I chose to ignore his comment and continued. "I just... I guess I want to say thank you for what you did today."

He shrugged. "All I did was represent my clients and figure out what they really needed. All but one of them was smart enough to take it." He smiled ruefully. "I know I said this before, and you don't have to believe me, but I _am_ sorry for going overboard with this."

"I know…" I said, wanting to say more but not sure what. "I should head back to my office." I lifted my briefcase and portfolio from the table, and turned reluctantly towards the door. "I'll see you around, okay?"

"Yeah… you've got to come back and make sure my house is clean, right?" he asked, his eyes brightening.

"Yes, in two weeks," I confirmed, wondering if he would have things cleaned up by then.

"Or else what?" he asked, eyes sparking. "You'll arrest me? Put me in handcuffs?"

"You wish," I blurted out.

Edward's eyes flashed with lust. "Anytime, Bella," he said, his voice low and rough with things left unsaid.

I was silent for a beat too long, imagining the possibilities but then cleared my throat. "Yes, well… I don't… arrest people. But I'll see you then. Or whenever. Bye," I said over my shoulder as I walked toward the door, and then promptly ran into the doorframe.

"Wow, are you okay?" He stepped towards me in concern.

"Yep, fine!" I threw the words behind me as I hurried down the hall rubbing my forehead. I usually wasn't this clumsy, but despite my best efforts to stay calm, Edward had flustered me once again.

I reached the elevator and pushed the button several times in my hurry to get back to the safety of my office. Thankfully, it didn't look like Edward followed me, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the doors dinged shut and I pushed the button for the 19th floor.

After stopping at my desk to drop off the mostly unused materials I had gathered for court, I took a couple moments to compose myself (and give Edward time to leave the building) before heading to the lobby to meet Jacob.

I stepped off the elevator just when my boss was walking towards the lobby from the opposite direction, a pensive look on his face. I waved to catch his attention, and after a short discussion we decided to head to a Thai place two blocks away.

We made small talk while walking and waiting to be seated, but once we ordered our lunch, Jacob leaned forward a bit like he had something serious to discuss.

"Bella, congratulations again on everything turning out today," he said, smiling big. "This case has caught the attention of some influential people in the city, and I think it reflects very well on you that you've done a good job so far."

He paused, and I prompted, "But?"

Jacob looked a little uncomfortable. "It's just that I want to make sure you understand how important it is that you continue to do a good job on this case."

I frowned, confused. "Why wouldn't I do a good job?"

"No, no – it's not that I think you won't, but… look, Bella, I'm going to level with you. There are a lot of important people who live in Mr. Cullen's neighborhood - people who donate lots of money to the mayor's campaign as well as the city councilperson's. Those neighbors have called the City offices to complain, and I have instructions from the mayor himself that we follow up to the full extent of our ability."

I raised my eyebrow. "Don't we always?"

"Yes, of course, but… I just want to make sure you understand the importance of this, that's all. There are a lot of people watching this case, and they'll be noting the day that the garbage needs to be removed. Just make sure you're back out there in exactly fourteen days to see what the status is, and take action if need be."

I pursed my lips, holding back a few choice words. I resented the implication that we should pay more attention to code violations in rich neighborhoods than in poor ones, but I also recognized that this was how the system worked. "I will, Jacob," I finally said.

"Good, that's great." Jacob sighed and looked relieved to have the conversation over with. "So, that was wonderful what happened with Mr. Cullen today, but it was odd that most of the clients dropped their appeals. Not that I'm complaining, but did you have any idea that was going to happen?"

I thought carefully about how to answer since we could be heading into a conversational minefield. "No, I was completely shocked." At least that was honest.

"Hmmm…" Jacob thought out loud. "I realize you're not as familiar with him as the rest of us that have worked at the city longer, but that just wasn't like him at all. Usually, when he takes up an issue he's like a bulldog that won't let go. Last year, he got a parking ticket that he didn't think was deserved. He sued the parking enforcement division and ended up exposing some loophole in their regulations. Not only did he get out of the ticket, but they had to cancel a bunch of other ones too. Pretty embarrassing for them." Jacob chuckled. "Anyway, it almost seemed like he had encouraged the clients to drop their cases, which doesn't make any sense. Why would he go to the trouble of tracking them down and filing the cases just to change his mind?"

"I… I really… he's a hard guy to figure out, I guess," I stammered. Okay, that wasn't a lie, but not the total truth. However, I didn't want Jacob knowing that Edward and I had been out on a kind-of accidental double date, or that I may have developed a tiny crush on the layabout lawyer.

Jacob shook his head. "It just makes me nervous that he's got something worse in mind, you know? I'm a little stumped."

I shrugged, trying to keep the guilty look off my face. "Maybe he just had a change of heart," I said, hoping that was the truth.

My boss laughed. "That's a good one! Wait until you've been in public service a little longer, I promise you'll get a little more jaded." He sighed and leaned back in his chair. "Make sure to let me know if he says anything, though."

I nodded and sighed in relief when our food arrived and Jacob changed the subject. "So, how's the new building on Market Street coming? You've been out there twice now, right?"

We chatted about various buildings going up and speculated about which properties would be developed next, with no further mention of Edward Cullen.

~~~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the office, I was trying to take advantage of my unexpectedly free afternoon by reading through some old sample inspection reports Jacob had given me for training purposes, but it was almost impossible to concentrate. Without my permission, my mind kept wandering to a certain rusty-haired pretend artist, wondering what he would do next.

The trouble with Edward was that he both fascinated and frustrated me. I was intrigued and even a little envious of his carefree lifestyle, and after meeting some of his pretentious neighbors I could understand why he took so much pleasure in setting them off. However, his mixed signals left me boggled. At times it seemed like he was as interested in me as I was in him, but after he hadn't contacted me for the past two weeks, I was sure he didn't care.

Maybe he would ask me out? Maybe I should ask him out? Maybe I should have Alice arrange another accidental not-quite double date? The possibilities swirled in my head as the reading sat untouched on my desk. I absently tapped my pen against the unturned page and wished I could call Alice to talk about what happened and strategize. Unfortunately, I was worried that she'd tell Jasper everything I said and it would get back to the man in question that I was thinking about him. In some ways it was really convenient that my best friend was connected to Edward, but when I needed someone to talk to, I missed turning to her.

I was so deep in thought that it startled me when Mike and Eric came into the room laughing and joking, apparently finished with their inspections for the day.

"Hey, Swan, you done with court already?" Mike looked surprised to see me. "How did it go?"

I still didn't completely trust Mike, but I wanted to have a positive working relationship if possible. The guys had of course heard about Edward's multi-appeal attack on me, and strangely enough it seemed to bring them to my defense. "Yeah, it went fast actually. Um… most of the appeals were dropped."

Eric's jaw dropped in an overly dramatic display of surprise. "No way, really? Why would Edward Cullen do that?"

"Well, he didn't drop his own appeal," I complained with a bit of my leftover frustration shining through. "But most of the others were dismissed."

"That's great, Bella! Good job!" Mike clapped me on the shoulder and moved over to his desk.

"Yeah, good job," Eric echoed, and then a slow smirk came over his face. "How about you let me take you out to dinner to celebrate?" He raised his eyebrows in question.

"Sorry, Eric, but I've got big plans," I said with an indulgent smile.

"Oh yeah? Can I ask, what plans take precedence over the awesomeness that is me?" he teased.

"I'm planning on alphabetizing my spice rack, re-lacing my shoes, and ironing my curtains... pretty much anything but going to dinner with you," I admitted, teasing him back.

Mike laughed. "I think you'd better give it up, Eric. It's been funny to watch, but this is getting embarrassing."

Eric turned red, but started chuckling anyway and I laughed along with them. Maybe, eventually, I had a shot at joining this boys-only club after all.

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><p><strong>So, how did Edward's plan measure up? Should Bella forgive him? I'd love to hear what you think, and I reply to reviews as long as you have PM's turned on. If you want to find me on Twitter, I'm mamabean30 there.<strong>

**I should mention that while I've been to hearings like this and I did some research, I'm certainly not an expert. Hopefully it was believable enough, but if there were any errors, I apologize.  
><strong>

**See you next Wednesday!**


	10. Chapter 10

**My prereaders, BookishQua and Twilover76, are absolutely wonderful, as is my gorgeous beta Detochkina. Thanks so much to all of them for making this story better! If you haven't read their work, you're missing out.**

**And yep, the characters still belong to SM.**

* * *

><p><em>Edward<em>

_._

Leaving the courthouse, I mulled over my interaction with Bella and what to do from here. For starters, I only had fourteen days left to enjoy my front yard art, so I decided to go home and brave the broken recliner while I pondered my next move. Wandering in the direction of my car, I stopped short when I almost tripped over a small child, his mother chasing after him. She smiled and apologized, and I watched her take his hand and continue down the street. I wondered wistfully - could that be me with a small sibling someday soon?

After stopping at a Mexican place for lunch on the way home, I pulled up to the house in my rusty truck. I went into the house to grab a beer before flopping on the stiff, cracked leather and prying up the footrest. Unwrapping my burrito, I took a giant bite and leaned back into the stained chair, enjoying that I didn't have to worry about dripping sour cream or salsa on anything. In fact, some sauce had dripped on my finger, and I wiped it on the arm of the chair just because I could.

My mind ran over the events at court today, from the caustic confrontation with Bella in the hall earlier, to the conversation we'd had before we left, to the inexplicable anger I'd felt when the large guy next to her kept leaning over and whispering in her ear. He was taking her out to lunch as I was sitting here alone, and that pissed me off. I knew he was just a co-worker or something, but still, it made me want to slide in and wrap my arms around her to claim her like I had in the bar.

I sat there eating and thinking until Jasper pulled up on his scooter. Without speaking, he moved the ancient sewing machine we had stashed on one end and settled onto the couch. He watched me take a few bites of burrito, and I threw him the extra one I'd bought in case he was home. If he hadn't been home, I figured it never hurt to have extra burritos around. He nodded his thanks and tore in, and we continued eating together in silence.

I finished my food and tucked the wrapper in the pocket in the side of the chair, growing uncomfortable at the continued lack of conversation. Fixing Jasper with a level stare, I decided to address the elephant in the room, or rather on the front lawn. "I know you're dying to ask about court today, so why don't you just fucking speak up?" My words came out harsher than I intended, reflecting some of my leftover frustration.

Jasper shrugged and looked at me impassively. "I don't know, dude, do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I lied.

"Fine," Jasper said, and went back to his burrito.

I drank the rest of my beer with an angry gulp and shoved the bottle in the chair, too. All the junk was going to be gone soon, so what was the difference if there was extra trash in the pockets?

Jasper finished his food while I sat in my chair, arms crossed and growing more frustrated. He followed my lead and shoved his wrapper in between the cushions of the musty couch, then he cleared his throat. "Bella was pretty nervous this morning," he said tentatively. "She made some awesome French toast with bacon, though, so that was good."

I was absurdly jealous to hear that Bella had cooked breakfast for Jasper, and it did nothing to improve my grouchiness. "So? She had nothing to be nervous about, she kicked my ass. I've got to have all this stuff moved in fourteen days." I closed my eyes against the onset of a sudden, pounding headache.

"For what it's worth, man, I'm sorry," Jasper said quietly.

"Thanks, I guess. I'm surprised by how little I care about the whole thing anymore, really." I rubbed my face and sighed, defeated. "Maybe I should just call a junk company tomorrow to come get all this shit."

"Well, if you do, we should at least throw these ladies a goodbye party," he said, patting a mannequin's leg affectionately. "It's the least they deserve."

In spite of my current foul mood, I laughed. "You know, that's actually a great idea. Let's have a goodbye party Friday night, and then Saturday I'll have someone come haul it all away."

We tossed ideas for the party back and forth, while in my mind I was trying to figure out how to get Bella to come. "Jazz, you're going to invite Alice, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, of course, if that's okay. Why?" He looked at me, eyebrow arched in question.

"I was hoping she might convince Bella to come," I forced myself to admit.

"I'll ask, bro, but don't get your hopes up. Bella's really professional, and this whole deal has…" Jasper trailed off, seeing my disappointed expression. "I'll ask, okay?"

I nodded, suddenly wanting to move on to other aspects of planning the party. "We definitely need to invite Emmett and Rose, Sam and Leah, and Quil and Claire…" I frowned, realizing how many couples I was listing off. "The rest of the poker guys too, and maybe Emmett can bring some of the guys from his construction site." That should make it a little less 'couple-y', for those of us who weren't half of a couple. Like me.

Jasper started texting people to spread the invitation around, and I started pondering the important details, like determining the perfect amount of liquor. We wanted everyone to have a good time, and yet not get so rowdy that the police would be called. In a flash of brilliance, I decided I should buy a decibel meter or two for the front yard, just to make sure we stayed within the city ordinances.

I was pulled from my thoughts by Jasper's phone chirping some text messages. "Em and Rose are coming, and Quil is going to check with Claire," he reported.

"Good, that's a start. We should go out looking tomorrow for a few more pieces, you know, for old time's sake."

Jasper laughed nervously and fidgeted a bit. "Old times, like a month ago?"

"Yeah, whatever. It would be fun, right?" I said.

"Sure, but… I actually have something going on tomorrow," Jasper said, suddenly concentrating hard on his finger, which was poking through a hole in the couch upholstery.

"Oh yeah? Don't you get enough of Alice, spending every night over there?" I teased, with a dash of resentment. Damn it, I missed Jasper more than I cared to admit, if only to know there was someone else in that gigantic house. Maybe I needed to get a dog.

"No, Alice is working, and I haven't told her this yet, but… I have a job interview," Jasper said, sounding apologetic.

I was silent for a few moments, surprised by the irrational flash of panic that shot through me. "Why would you do that? You know I don't mind that you're here, right? I mean, you're working on your music and stuff," I said, trying not to show the worry I felt.

Jasper brightened. "Yeah, that's actually how I got the interview. I was looking into getting some time at a studio to finish recording my demo, and the guy there mentioned that they might be looking for some help. It would be mostly administrative stuff, but I might get pulled in on background guitar sometimes and get to run the boards and stuff. I'm meeting with the owner tomorrow." He held up two crossed pairs of fingers for luck.

"Oh," I said simply, feeling a little despondent.

"It's just that… I know you don't mind, but I feel like such a loser slacking off while Alice is working all day. I… I want a future with her, Edward. And that means I've got to grow up and get a job." Jasper looked nervous, yet determined.

My worry turned to anger, realizing what was being left unsaid. "So, now I'm immature because I don't work, is that it? You've been dating this girl for what, two weeks? And now I'm too much of a 'loser' to hang around with anymore?"

Jasper looked pained at my harsh tone. "That's not what I meant, man, and you know it. I just want to do something with my life, you know?"

I snorted. "Well, I want to do absolutely nothing with mine. Let's each have fun with that, okay?" I got up and walked inside, slamming the door behind me.

Petulantly, I stomped up the stairs to my room and flopped down on my sleeping couch. I knew I was being an asshole – I should have been happy for my buddy that he was getting a job and a serious girlfriend, but all I felt was left behind and alone.

I stared at the ceiling for several minutes, listening to the faint sounds of Jasper entering the house and messing around in the kitchen. Part of me wanted to go apologize, but the other part reminded me how quiet it would be when Jasper inevitably left to move in with Alice for good. That made me resentful all over again, and I decided to make him sweat it out a little longer.

After daydreaming for a while until my anger dissipated, I went down to find Jasper playing Halo. Without a word, I grabbed another controller from our helpful dog butler's tray while Jazz started a new game so that I could play too. I flopped in the chair and cleared my throat to break the tense silence. "Um… I'm sorry," I said in a low voice.

Jazz gave me a long, appraising look before nodding. "S'ok, man." He looked like he had more he wanted to say, but he turned his attention back to the screen as the game started, and we blasted away at each other to get rid of the residual tension.

~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~

Friday night arrived at last, after a long remainder of the week. Jasper had gotten the job, of course, and had started the very next day refreshing his knowledge of the sound mixing boards and equipment. I had gone a little stir crazy after a few hours alone, and ended up at Emmett's construction site to take him out to lunch. When he saw how agitated I was, he gave me a hard hat and a vest and let me haul stuff to the dumpster for the rest of the afternoon.

I'd felt better for a bit, but when I got home to an empty house and a note that Jasper was at Alice and Bella's for the night, my irritation quickly returned. I had hardly seen Jazz on Friday either, since he spent most of it at the studio. I went to the grocery store and wandered aimlessly for an hour or two, throwing miscellaneous snack food into the cart for the party, but it wasn't the same without my trusty sidekick. Jasper and I had games we played in the grocery store, too – we each chose one snack food and one drink to try to make the grossest combination, and the other person had to eat them. I'd recently won by choosing macaroni and cheese flavored potato chips and root beer flavored milk. Jazz very nearly threw up before finishing his required serving.

I hadn't chosen any particularly disgusting foods this time, so hopefully the party would be vomit-free. I'd also stopped at an electronics store to buy a decibel meter – the city ordinance specified a limit of 55 decibels until 10 pm, and 45 after that, so I wanted to make sure that the noise level in the front yard wouldn't be enough to get me another citation. I actually hoped that one of my neighbors would call the police, so that I could send them away when my party wasn't loud enough to break any rules.

Rose and Emmett were the first to arrive, having picked up the pizzas I ordered, and we set up the food in the kitchen.

"Where's Jazz?" Emmett asked, looking around. "He should be helping us get this shit all set up."

I scoffed. "Where else? He's with Alice again."

My feelings of abandonment must have come through in my sarcastic tone, because Rose looked at me strangely. "Are you okay, Edward?" she asked finally.

"Yeah, sure, why wouldn't I be?"

Rose shrugged and grabbed a handful of chips. "I don't know. It seems like you might be losing your other slacker buddy, so I figured you'd be a little upset."

"No, I'm good. I'm happy for him, really, he got a job and everything," I said, my voice devoid of enthusiasm.

"Jasper got a job? Why don't you ever tell me these things?" she demanded, turning to Emmett, who began to look a little panicked.

"I just heard about it myself, and I didn't think you'd care… take it easy, baby!" he protested as his fiance gave him a teasing glare.

"You're lucky you're so handsome," she cooed, pulling him close and planting a kiss on his lips.

I managed to hold back my sigh of vexation at seeing yet another happy couple, and instead turned away to find some large bowls to dump the chips into.

The doorbell rang, and Emmett went to answer in case it was some of his work buddies. Rose went to greet them as well, but as she passed by she gave me a comforting pat on the arm. "I can't wait to meet your Bella," she said with a smile.

"She's not _my_ Bella," I grumbled.

_Yet,_ my brain added.

Rose laughed lightly. "Any woman who can hold your attention is definitely one worth meeting. Make sure to introduce me, okay?"

"I don't think she's even coming, but if I see her, I'll let you know," I answered.

A half hour later I was sitting my recliner in the front yard greeting the arriving guests, and my heart sank when an unfamiliar car parked down the street and Jasper and Alice got out. Instead of Bella, though, they were accompanied by a woman in a simple black dress with shoulder length honey-colored hair.

In an attempt to hide my disappointment, I got up from the chair and headed in to get another beer. I heard several voices in the front yard greet Jasper curiously, and he proudly introduced Alice and her friend Jane. They seemed to be heading for the kitchen to find food, so I quickly moved to the living room and flopped down in an inconspicuous corner chair.

Sipping the cold, bitter drink from the bottle, I pouted a bit more and thought about what to do. I still had one shot, I figured – once the junk company hauled everything away tomorrow, I could call Bella and flat-out ask her to go on a date with me. I wasn't sure what my odds were, but I had to at least give it a chance.

I was wondering how much information I could get out of Alice when I was jerked from my musings by a familiar laugh. My head turned automatically towards the sound, but I was confused when all I saw were Jasper, Alice and Jane talking to Emmett and Rosalie. All I could see was Jane's back, but I observed that she did have a very nice ass. In fact, it looked familiar… I crept up behind the group and tried to unobtrusively listen in on what they were saying.

"Oh, believe me, I know exactly what you mean!" Rosalie was saying. "When I first started at the shop, those guys were just cold – they refused to give me anything to do, and they were always making comments about me getting dirty or whatever. It took a long time for them to realize that I knew what I was doing."

Jane shook her head. "I know, it was incredibly frustrating at first, but I feel like I might be finally getting somewhere now. Although, I can't complain that the guys never gave me anything to do… I mean, they sent me _here_ as a joke!" They all laughed, and my spirits lifted when I became more certain that 'Jane' was not who she said she was. Jasper noticed my hopeful expression and waved me into the group.

"Excuse me, guys, I just wanted to meet your friend," I said.

Jane turned around, and I was met with familiar deep brown eyes shining with mirth. "Nice to meet you, Edward, is it? I'm Jane," Bella said with a smile.

I lifted her hand and kissed it. "Jane? Charmed to meet you, I'm sure. Welcome to my home. Would it be too forward of me to offer you a tour? There is some beautiful historic architecture here." I returned her smile.

"I am a fan of historic architecture, but I was in the middle of a conversation here," she said teasingly as she reclaimed her hand from mine.

"Yeah, Edward, how rude!" Rosalie said. "So anyway, _Jane, _we should have lunch sometime."

Bella turned away from me back to Rose, and I didn't like it one bit. "I'd love to! Really, I'm out on inspections most days, so I'm pretty flexible."

Rose took out her phone. "Great! Here, give me your number, and maybe we'll do Tuesday? You can text me."

More than a little irritated that Rosalie was getting Bella's number before I was, I still waited patiently while she typed in the number and texted herself. After she handed back Rosalie's phone, I looked at her expectantly, my foot tapping out my impatience.

"Um… did you need something?" Bella asked, eyeing me strangely.

"Are you ready for that tour now?" I asked eagerly. I didn't quite get the wig or the fake name, but since she was here, I wasn't about to complain. Maybe she was into role-playing?

She laughed in response to my invitation, and the tone made me think that I wasn't going to like her answer. "I've been here for like, ten minutes! Let me get something to eat first, okay?" She flipped her blond hair and went towards the kitchen, followed by Alice and Jasper.

Emmett was staring at me in disbelief and Rose was smiling widely. "Good choice, Edward. I approve," she said.

"Thanks," I said sarcastically. "Your endorsement was all I was waiting for."

"I'm not going to lie, Edward, if everything Emmett told me about what you've done is true, you've got some work to do there. But she seems like she'd be worth it," she finished as she snuggled into Emmett's side.

"What… what do I need to do?" I asked, willing to take whatever help I could get at this point, and Rose was definitely someone who would tell me straight.

"You need to show some respect, first of all. I can't believe you haven't cleaned up that shit in your front yard yet, but at least you're doing it tomorrow. She's not going to have anything to do with you until that's done, and maybe not even for a while after that to let the whole situation blow over at her office," Rose said logically.

I couldn't help but wonder how long 'a while' was, but I restrained myself from whining about it. "Okay, what else?"

Rose shrugged. "Groveling couldn't hurt," she snickered.

I rolled my eyes. "That's helpful."

She studied my face for a moment. "You're really serious, aren't you? Just ask her out, Edward, but don't make any moves until your junk is cleaned up. The worst she can do is say no, and then you move on. If she says yes, then call me and we'll plan." She flashed me a conspiratorial smile, making me think that she was already plotting where to make dinner reservations for Bella and my first date.

Emmett laughed. "Dude, you don't know what you're getting into here! I love this woman, but she's got some strong opinions." He moved to avoid Rose's hand swatting at him playfully.

"Hey, I've got you trained, don't I?" she teased. "Plus, I have ulterior motives. Apparently Jasper's well on his way to getting serious with Alice, so if I can help you through this and you and Bella connect, that's less time that Emmett's going to spend over here reliving his fraternity days."

"Are you saying you can't get enough of me, baby?" Emmett raised his eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah, that, and we need the garage painted and the downstairs bathroom re-tiled. But mostly that I can't get enough of you," she agreed as they shared a brief kiss.

"All right, I get it. I'll ask her out," I said, backing away from them.

"Not until later!" Rose called after me, and I waved my acknowledgement as I headed into the kitchen, trying to train myself to look for honey-blond hair instead of the rich dark cherry I was used to spotting.

I found Bella standing by the array of chips with Jasper and Alice, in the midst of a heated debate with her friend about the merits of plain potato chips versus sour cream and onion. "I don't want to interrupt anything important, but are you ready for that tour now?" I gallantly offered my arm.

"Are you really that anxious? What, is the house going to turn into a pumpkin at midnight?" Bella teased, eyeing my proffered elbow with a little apprehension.

"No, but all the junk will be removed tomorrow morning, so it may look significantly different then. You need to see it as it is now, to properly appreciate how barren it will be." I waved my arm in the general direction of the front yard.

Bella gave me a small, indecipherable smile. "Really? Tomorrow's the big day?"

I nodded. "It's going to break my heart, but yes," I said with a wink, so she'd know I wasn't really that upset.

"Fine, you can give me a freaking tour if you really want to," she acquiesced, but breezed by me without taking my arm. "Where do we start?"

"Well, you've seen the kitchen, but check out our dining room." I ushered her through the open French doors in to the room with the giant flatscreen and recliners.

"Dining room, huh?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. "Do a lot of eating in here, do you?"

"Sure do," I said proudly. "It took us a few tries to get it right, but the coffee table is the perfect size for a pizza box."

Bella gave me a withering look. "No wonder Jasper's been so excited about my cooking."

I pushed down the flare of jealousy and showed her the bathrooms on the first floor, of which the best thing to be said was they were not toxic waste dumps thanks to our cleaning service. I ushered her into my office and gestured to my desk with a smile. "And this is where the magic happens."

Bella's eyebrows flew up so high they all but disappeared into her wig. "Oh, so this is where you planned your funny joke of a lawsuit attack on me, is it?"

I rubbed the back of my neck while I considered what to say. "Yeah, I guess so. I'm sorry. I really… you know that, right?"

"I know," she said softly and looked around the room a little more. "Kind of bare, huh? You must not like distractions."

I shrugged a shoulder, indifferent. "I just don't really care, I guess. I don't usually think about decorations and stuff, just what's functional, unless it's something that amuses me. Probably why I still sleep on a couch," I joked, then wondered if I had revealed too much.

Bella laughed. "You don't have a bed?"

"Nope. I bought a really comfortable couch in the first apartment Jasper and Emmett and I lived in, and I ended up sleeping on it a lot because Emmett snores like a hibernating bear. I got used to it, and… I guess I just never thought about buying a bed."

Bella looked at me curiously. "Must make it hard when you have… company," she said.

I really, really didn't want to have a conversation about other women with her right then. "Um… I don't have much… company. At least not here," I corrected, then thought that might make me look worse.

"Oh," was all she said, and as hard as I listened for a deeper meaning, I couldn't find one.

After a moment, I turned to leave the room. "Come on, I'll show you the upstairs." I gestured for her to follow me since it was clear she wasn't going to take my arm. We walked up the stairs, and Bella admired the intricately carved wood railing that was original to the house. I had barely noticed it, to be honest - it held me up when I stumbled sleepily downstairs in the morning, so it was fine by me.

We walked down the wide hallway and I pointed out the music room, the lamp room, and the taxidermy room, which earned me a raised eyebrow. The door to my bedroom was closed, and I debated about letting Bella see it. "This is my room, if you want to…"

I got my answer when she shied away and hurried past the doorway. "Um, I'd better not," she said quickly.

The hallway turned and lead to a small balcony that overlooked the backyard. I'm sure it would have looked nice with some antique wicker furniture or something, but all Jasper and I had managed were a couple of foldable camp chairs. At least they were comfortable. I opened the door and held it for Bella behind me. "After you , madame."

She smiled and stepped out onto the porch, walking up to the railing and looking wistfully at the backyard. "It's so beautiful," she said. "This is definitely something I miss about living in a house – I'd love to have a garden."

"You're welcome to use mine – I don't think anyone else will be doing any weeding," I joked, but she frowned.

"You need to hire a landscaping service or something, then. It would be such a shame for these lovely gardens to get overgrown," she said in her 'Inspector Swan' voice.

"Hold on there, I don't think you have jurisdiction over my backyard, Inspector," I said, trying to balance the frustration in my voice with a teasing tone as well. I was trying to move us away from this professional role, and this wasn't helping.

"No, I don't, and I didn't mean it that way," she clarified. "But… please look into a service to keep them up, okay?" Her eyes pleaded with me, and I couldn't deny her.

"Sure, no problem," I said, and meant it. We had a privacy fence all the way around the backyard, so it wasn't like I could annoy the neighbors by letting things get overgrown.

Bella smiled her thanks, and we sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the beautiful night and the music that was just loud enough to hear from inside.

"So… Jane, huh?" I reached out and playfully tugged a lock of the blond wig.

She blushed prettily. "Yeah, I wasn't going to come at all, but Jasper and Alice really wanted me to be here for some reason. I didn't want any of the neighbors to recognize me, though… I mean, I know it's not that great of a disguise, but at least I look different from a distance."

I smiled at her. "Well, you always look beautiful, but I have to say I'm partial to brunettes."

Bella flushed again and our eyes locked. I knew Rosalie had told me to wait, but it felt like the stars had aligned to create the perfect moment for a kiss. Closing my eyes, I leaned forward, but was met with only empty air. My eyelids snapped open to see Bella stepping backwards, giggling and shaking her head.

"Nice try, Edward, but I don't kiss just anyone. And certainly not you, while your yard is still in violation of code." Thankfully, her tone was light and she didn't seem angry.

"So, if you don't kiss just anyone, who do you kiss?" I asked, my words heavy with meaning. I wanted to be in that club. Actually, if I had anything to say about it I'd be the president and sole member.

"Hmmm…" She tapped her lips with her index finger, and my eyes followed the movement. "I generally kiss guys that I've been on at least one date with, and felt a connection to. I avoid guys in the construction industry, and I definitely don't go for smart ass lawyers with pending city violations," she added with a laugh.

"What about smart ass lawyers who are turning over a new, completely compliant leaf?" I asked, flashing her a hopeful grin.

"It's possible, I suppose… I'll have to think about it," she answered, but her flirtatious smile made my heart instantly lighter.

"I hope that you do," I said and we fell silent again.

After a few moments of watching the sun set over the trees, Bella spoke up again. "So, if you're serious, that all this stuff will be gone tomorrow, I'll come over Monday afternoon and do a re-inspection so I can close out your paperwork."

I nodded. "You're welcome to stop by anytime, the stuff will be gone."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. I… I should probably get back down to Jasper and Alice," she said reluctantly. "But thanks for the tour."

"My pleasure," I said, smiling.

"Are you coming?" she asked, pausing by the door.

I was torn - I wanted to be wherever Bella was, but I was also enjoying the quiet, which surprised me given how lonely I'd been all week. "Go ahead, I'll be there in a minute," I replied, turning back towards the lawn. I wanted to savor the moment we'd shared, even if I'd struck out on the kiss attempt. I guess I should have listened to Rosalie after all. Maybe I'd go talk to Rose again, and maybe then I could ask Emmett if he had any recommendations. Apparently, I had a landscaper to hire, preferably one who could come before Monday afternoon.

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><p><strong>Awww, the junk is going to junk heaven pretty soon. Is Edward doing the right thing? I'd love to hear what you think! If you want to chat on Twitter, I'm mamabean30 over there.<strong>

**One of my regular reviewers, dazzleglo, is contributing a story to the Christmas Wishes compilation to benefit Toys for Tots. It's a great cause, and her story **_**Moose on the Loose**_** sounds like it will be full of hilarious drunken mayhem! To donate and get her story plus others, visit ****christmaswishescompilation[.]blogspot[.]com (remove the brackets)**

**See you next Wednesday!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks to all who continue to read and review! FFN was having trouble with review replies, so some of them were later than I would have liked, and I'm sorry for that. It was still misbehaving as of last night, but I will do my best to respond as soon as possible. **

**Happy Thanksgiving to those who are celebrating tomorrow! I must really love you guys, because I don't have to work today and yet I still got up early to post :)  
><strong>

**Many, many thanks to my prereaders, BookishQua and Twilover76 for making this story better, and for all their support. Special hugs and thanks to my beta Detochkina for correcting my comma abuse, and continuing to be so sweet and patient along the way. They're all extremely talented authors, so if you haven't read their work, what are you waiting for?**

**Unfortunately, the characters are not mine. But at least SM lets me borrow them.**

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><p><em>Bella<em>

.

I woke up Monday morning to peaceful silence and with a huge smile on my face. After the party on Friday, Alice had stayed at the house with Jasper, and when she returned sans-boyfriend late Saturday morning, we'd had a good talk. Without being too explicit, I'd managed to convey that the walls might be thinner than Alice thought, and expressed that it would be nice if she and Jasper switched up whose place they used for their love shack once in a while.

She apologized profusely and agreed that either they would switch up where they stayed or spend some nights apart, although I suspected they'd work with option one. Jasper's new job made a difference too, since now they both needed to get up and get ready for work. We ended the conversation with a hug and went out for an afternoon of shopping, confirming my belief that despite ditching me with Edward a few weeks ago, I was lucky to have Alice as a roommate and a friend.

I hummed through my shower and got dressed in my favorite dark blue blouse and a flouncy white skirt, my good mood reflecting all over the place. For breakfast, I made myself an omelet with spinach and feta cheese, and while I missed having people to cook for, the peace and quiet was absolutely heavenly. I cleaned up quickly and got my things together, nearly skipping out the door.

At the office, I made the necessary arrangements to add Edward to my schedule for the afternoon. Jacob stopped short by my desk when he saw which file I had open. "You're going back to Cullen's already?" he said with surprise. "I thought his deadline wasn't until next week."

"It isn't until next Tuesday, but I've been assured that the junk will be gone today and I wanted to get it clear," I explained, hoping he wouldn't ask for the source of my information.

"Really?" Jacob looked at me, one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Well, that's fine, if you're sure. I just don't want you to waste a trip."

"I understand, and I won't." If the junk wasn't cleaned up, my trip still wouldn't be wasted, because I'd spend the time kicking Edward Cullen's ass for lying to me.

"Great, make sure to let me know how it goes. I'd love to report to the Mayor's office that this one's wrapped up early." Jacob smiled at me encouragingly. "Good luck."

"Thanks, Jacob." I waved as I gathered my paperwork into my bag. I was still feeling good about the day, but a hint of apprehension had crept in. Edward had better not let me down.

~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~

My third stop of the day was a building under construction, just over halfway completed. I'd been to the site once before while shadowing Tyler, and the building had recently been transferred to me so that Tyler could focus on some major downtown projects. Pulling on my boots and clapping my hard hat on my head, I got out of the car and glanced at the name on my paperwork to see who I was looking for. My face broke out in a smile when I saw the man I needed coming towards me, waving cheerfully.

"Bella, so nice of you to visit again!" Emmett said, shaking my hand like I was a visiting international ambassador instead of an inspector coming to fritter away the remainder of his morning.

"Hi, Emmett," I replied, happy to see a friendly face. "I'll be visiting you more often now – Tyler's been reassigned to some other projects, so they transferred this one to me."

"That's great, it will be good to see you. I never told you this, but I really appreciated it when you caught that electrical issue on your first visit," Emmett said, and I was surprised he had remembered.

"I'm just glad it was fixed properly." I fumbled with my clipboard, a little embarrassed at his praise. "So, can you show me what's new since last time?"

Emmett took me up to the third floor of the condo building and we looked at some plumbing fixtures his workers were beginning to install. They wanted to sheetrock over the walls, but I had to give my approval before the wiring and plumbing could be covered over. I started in the farthest apartment from the stairs and worked my way backwards, letting Emmett know what I needed to see along the way.

An hour and a half later, we finally reached the last unit on the bottom floor and I gave him clearance to proceed. Emmett invited me into the construction trailer to sign paperwork, but he soon changed the subject to Edward.

"So, you've gotta know this by now, but my buddy's pretty intrigued by you," Emmett told me with a grin.

"Really?" I asked. "Which buddy is that?"

"Come on, Bella. Are you going to put Edward out of his misery and go out with him soon?

I closed my eyes and smiled as I thought about the one time I'd had Edward's arms wrapped around me but was brought back to reality when a dump truck outside beeped loudly. "I'm going to see him... I mean, his lawn... later today," I said, trying to keep my voice professionally detached in spite of my raging nerves.

"I was over there yesterday, and all the stuff was gone," Emmett reassured me.

I let out a long breath, my anxiety evaporating. "Thanks. That's good to hear." I wandered aimlessly over to the window but stopped short at what I saw outside. After a split second, I ducked down to avoid being seen. "Emmett," I hissed. "Get over here."

Lifting my finger to my mouth, I shushed his question before he could start it as I pointed toward what had caught my attention. Victoria's distinctive curly red hair was clearly visible through the window, and she was stalking toward a man in a hard hat with a greasy blond ponytail.

Emmett's face registered shock, then recognition as he crouched beside me. "That's Edward's almost-evil-whatever-she-is!" he whispered. "What the fuck is she doing with James?"

Shushing him again, I raised my hand slowly to the window and pushed it open a crack before it started sticking. Emmett saw my plight and put his hand to the other side, and together we inched the window up until we could hear faint strains of voices from outside.

"…I can't believe you forgot your damn lunch!" Victoria's voice was ripe with irritation.

"Aw, baby, I just missed you is all," a male voice replied. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

A brief moment of silence followed, and I wondered if I was imagining the hint of a kissing noise I heard.

"Ugh, I just hate putting on this damn belly pad every fucking time I go out of the house. It's really hot and it itches," she whined.

"Well, it looks sexy," the man said, with a lascivious growl. Emmett and I made twin faces of disgust.

We heard some movement, and Victoria squealed. "Stop touching it! You know it dents in and looks fake when you do that. I don't know what the hell I'm going to do if that moron doesn't cough up the money soon. I got the same kind as that chick on _Glee - _shefooled her husband for a while, but she got caught before her stomach got too big. I'm sure the bigger fake bellies are going to look even worse," she complained.

I clapped my hand over my mouth to hold in my gasp and also to control my gag reflex. Poor Edward! I remembered him saying he suspected Victoria was lying, but to have her deception so clearly revealed was shocking. How could she be so cruel? I held my breath as I continued to listen, a pit forming in my stomach.

"Don't worry - you'll convince him to give up soon, and then we can start that bloodhound breeding business we've always dreamed about."

"Um… yeah, I can't wait," she said, the lack of enthusiasm obvious in her voice. "See you later. Don't forget your stupid lunch."

I thought I heard one more kissing noise, and then footsteps walked away in two different directions. My legs were stiff from crouching next to the window, so I put my back to the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, letting out my breath. I was absolutely stunned by what I'd just heard, but my thoughts immediately flew to Edward. This was a terrible betrayal by someone who was once going to be a member of his family, and my heart broke for what he'd feel when he found out.

Emmett sat down next to me, stretching his long legs. "Shit."

"I know," I replied.

"Uh…"

"I know."

"What the fuck am I going to tell Edward?" he worried, rubbing his forehead in concern. "Damn, that guy has been so broken up about his dad, and then this psycho chick has to pull this shit…"

We both shook our heads at Victoria, whose greediness apparently knew no bounds. "I… I was going to go back there this afternoon, to clear his house. We could tell him together," I offered. I knew it was stretching the boundaries of professionalism, but I wanted to be there for Edward when he heard this awful news.

Emmett was massaging the back of his neck, as if relieving the tension in his muscles could diminish the effect of the words we had just overheard. "Yeah, that could work. I mean, it has to be better to hear this from two people instead of just one, right?"

I nodded. "I think he already doubted Victoria's claim, so maybe he'll be happy to have it confirmed that she's lying. But this is such a crazy story, who knows how he'll react? I don't really know him that well, I guess."

Emmett winked at me. "I think you know him better than you think you do," he said cryptically.

I chose to let that comment slide. "I've got one more place to go after lunch – would you be able to meet me at Edward's house around two this afternoon?"

He considered a moment, then nodded. "I'll have to move a subcontractor meeting around, but yeah, I think that will work."

"Okay, let's plan on that. Do you want my cell number in case anything changes?"

He agreed that would be prudent, and we exchanged phones to enter our information.

Without saying much else, he thanked me for the smooth inspection and I signed off on the paperwork he needed to continue with his job. I waved goodbye and drove to the park to eat, but my nervousness over the conversation coming up meant that I only picked at my food.

Thankfully, the inspection after lunch was simple and didn't involve a citation, but I took lots of pictures to remind myself later of what I'd seen. Emmett hadn't called to cancel or postpone, so I drove myself to Edward's house with a lump of dread growing in my stomach.

I had grown so used to looking for the junk in the front yard that I almost drove right by. Aside from a few dead spots and indents left in the lawn from the heavier articles of furniture, the house now looked as beautiful as any of the neighbors'. The flower beds in front also looked suspiciously like they'd been recently weeded.

Still sitting in my car, I took a few quick photos while I waited for Emmett to show up. I sighed in relief when his huge white pickup turned the corner, immediately recognizable by his company logo on the door. I got out and took a few more pictures, documenting the clean lawn, and was walking up to ring the doorbell when the door opened wide.

"Inspector Swan, how lovely to see you again," Edward said, with a bow that managed to be both gallant and appropriately goofy.

"Hello, Mr. Cullen," I replied, returning to our assigned roles for the time being. "You've been busy, I see," I said, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Oh, but of course. I wouldn't want to put the good City of Seattle through any more aggravation over my silly sculptures, especially since they don't seem to appreciate good art," Edward said, still smiling broadly.

I cleared my throat in an attempt to loosen my nerves. "It looks great, all in compliance with the regulations now," I said, working to keep my voice even.

Edward nodded but was looking past me at Emmett. "What's he doing here?" he muttered to himself.

I glanced back at Emmett for support, but he was standing next to his truck on his phone and talking loudly to someone about wiring. "Um…"

I must have looked guilty, because Edward suddenly narrowed his eyes at me. "What? Do you know something?"

Suddenly fascinated with the ground, I dragged the toe of my shoe across one of the indents left from the recliner. "Actually, Edward… Emmett and I have to talk to you."

"What? Why?" he asked. "I know Emmett's totally into Rose, otherwise I'd think that you two were dating and afraid to tell me." He paused uncomfortably. "You're not, are you?"

"No, I'm not dating him!" I laughed in spite of the tense situation, and wished Emmett would get off the damn phone already.

As if he heard my mental plea, he shouted one last "get it done!", flipped the phone shut, and strode over to us purposefully. "Hey there, E. How's it going?"

Edward looked between the two of us like he was searching for a missing crossword answer. "I'd be better if you fucking told me what was going on," he said finally.

"Let's go inside," Emmett suggested. "Inspector B, do you have everything you need out here?"

"Yes, I'm fine." I looked around nervously to see if any neighbors were watching me walk into Edward's house but decided that it was a chance I had to take. We couldn't have this conversation on the front lawn.

Edward stalked into the kitchen and slouched onto a stool at the counter. "Why do I feel like I'm about to get a lecture from my dad for staying out too late?" he joked.

"Well, young man, I've been meaning to talk to you about your curfew," Emmett postured, and we all laughed. "What, I don't do a good Carlisle?" Immediately, he seemed to realize the inappropriateness of his comment. "I'm sorry, E. I shouldn't have said that."

Edward waved his hand. "It's fine, no big deal. But seriously, tell me what's going on," he said, his eyes growing more intense.

Both men looked expectantly at me, so I guessed it was up to me to start. "I'll start at the beginning, I guess. I was at Emmett's building site today, and when we were in the construction trailer, we spotted Victoria out the window."

Edward looked taken aback at the turn the conversation had taken. "Really? What was she doing there?"

That was the first hard part - telling him that it sounded like she may have been cheating on his dad. I looked at Emmett to continue, although I had a bad feeling that it would be my turn again when the time came to deliver the worst news.

Emmett straightened up, then sighed. "She was there visiting one of my bricklayers, James," he said heavily. "And I'm not sure, but the way they were talking made it seem like they'd been together a while."

Edward took in this news for a few seconds. "Wait, so they were talking? How much did you hear?" He seemed both anxious and reluctant to hear what we might tell him next.

Emmett looked at me expectantly, so I guessed the ball was back in my court. "Actually, we hid inside the trailer and we could hear most of what they were saying through the window." I took a deep breath and mentally adjusted my big-girl panties. "I'm sorry, Edward, but Victoria… she isn't really pregnant."

He stared at me across the kitchen for a few beats, blinking repeatedly. "You're sure? She actually said that?"

I shifted from foot to foot. "Not word for word, but… she told James that she hated putting on the belly pad to go outside, and that it was hot and itchy…" I searched my brain for more of Victoria's actual words. "And she told him to stop touching it, because that made it look fake."

Edward's face registered disappointment for the briefest of moments before an arrogant smirk took over. "Well, this is great news. She doesn't have a leg to stand on, and all I have to do is convince a judge to order a pregnancy test and she'll be out of my life. And if she really went to all the work of ordering belly pads and crap, there's got to be some proof of it, not to mention the ultrasound picture she must have doctored. I could probably hit her with extortion charges if I wanted to," he mused.

Emmett and I shared a look of relief that Edward had taken the news so well. "So, you're okay with it? That she's not pregnant?" Emmett asked his friend directly.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Edward scoffed. "Of course that's what I want, I want her out of my life for good. A baby sibling would've meant I'd have to deal with her for years, and that would have sucked ass," he explained. As much as he seemed happy at the prospect of Victoria's lie, I sensed a twinge of disappointment in his voice as well.

"Edward..." I said softly, but stopped when I wasn't sure how to express what I wanted to say.

"Why are you guys looking at me like that? This is what I wanted. I'm happy! I just want to get this over with." He took a stray beer cap that was laying on the counter and started flipping it around. "So you guys probably both have to get back to work, right? I'm going to go do some more research on the case, see where I need to go from here. See you later." He waved abruptly and walked in the direction of his office.

Emmett looked at his friend's back as Edward walked away, then turned to me. "That went well, right?"

I gave him a withering look. "Someone needs to go after him, you know."

He raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I didn't know that. And I vote… you," he said with a smile.

"Me? Why me? You've been his friend for years," I argued.

"Yes, but you're much prettier than I am. You'll cheer him up better." Emmett gave me a helpful push towards the office.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Okay, fine, but will you stay at least? I'm still paranoid about someone reporting me to the City, and it would look bad if Edward and I were here alone. This way I can make up some paperwork excuse, at least," I thought aloud.

Emmett gave me a thumbs-up and grinned. "No problem, Inspector B. If you need me, I'll be defending the city from a zombie invasion," he said as he dashed for the video game console and picked up a controller.

"Well, that's a relief," I muttered, and shuffled off towards Edward's office. The door was open a crack, so I knocked quietly at the door and saw that the cocky man from a few moments ago was now sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. He watched me as I entered the office and crossed the room to stand by him. My hand started to move towards his back to comfort him, but I stopped myself just in time. I clasped my fingers behind my back to prevent any further misbehavior on their part.

"Edward, are you really all right?" I asked.

He stared at me, eyes blank. "I said I was, didn't I?"

"You did… but I didn't really believe you," I confessed.

He just sighed and shook his head. "This is what I wanted," he repeated again, but there was defeat in his voice.

"Yes, but you also wanted a piece of your father, another family member, right? It's okay to be disappointed about losing that," I said as gently as I could.

Edward rubbed his hand over his face and then moved on to his hair, pulling anxiously. "I… I don't know what I feel right now, I guess." His expression changed to heartbreaking sorrow and confusion before he hung his head.

I couldn't contain my fingers behind my back any longer, so I tentatively reached out and stroked his face. He looked up, startled, but grabbed my hand when I tried to pull it back. "Bella," he said softly. I waited, but he didn't say anything further and he didn't release my fingers. Instead, he tugged my arm to pull me forward and rested his head against my stomach.

My instincts were warring between my need to maintain distance and an overwhelming desire to comfort this man who was in obvious pain. My burgeoning feelings for Edward won out - I couldn't deny how right it felt as I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck. My fingers stroked his hair, and I could feel him relax a little as his arms went around my waist like they had always belonged there.

Closing my eyes, I savored the warm feeling washing through me as we melted into each others' embrace. Aside from my fingers caressing the back of his head, neither of us moved a muscle, as if we were afraid of breaking some kind of spell. I focused on the feel of his soft hair, the sound of both of us breathing deeply, and the way my heart was racing as though I'd just sprinted a mile.

After a length of time that seemed forever and yet far too short, I felt Edward's head move and I looked down at him. He'd lifted his face up to look at me, and every bit of the intensity of the moment we were sharing was reflected in his eyes. Tightening his arms, he guided me down to sit in his lap and skimmed his hands up my sides. One hand curled around the back of my neck while the other stroked my hair, and although I wanted nothing more than to give in to his longing look and kiss him senseless, warning bells began to go off in my brain and I reluctantly pulled back.

Seeing my intention, Edward sighed and loosened his hold, allowing me to get up from his lap. "I suppose it won't help my case to say I would do just about anything to kiss you right now," he said ruefully.

I smiled warmly at him. "You've taken the first step, at least. You're no longer a ruffian in violation of city code," I reminded, hoping he would remember the rest of my kissing criteria and ask me on a date.

He stood up from his desk and came close to me again, and I backed up reflexively. He inched forward a little more with a teasing smile. "What's the matter, Bella?"

I backed away a little more, knowing that if I didn't move away I'd be back in his embrace in a heartbeat. "Nothing, why?"

He took another step, managing to look leonine as he slunk towards me. Our eyes were locked as I retreated further and tried to unobtrusively feel behind me to make sure I wasn't backing into a wall. "Bella," he said, "I have to ask you something."

I wanted to look behind me to make sure I was headed for the door, but his eyes sparkled playfully and refused to release my gaze. "What is it?" I said, a trifle too breathless for my taste.

He took a deep breath and broke our stare, glancing at my lips before returning to my eyes. "Have dinner with me," he said in a rush.

I laughed, which broke the intensity of the moment. "That wasn't a question," I teased.

"Um… please? Please have dinner with me?" His grin grew cocky, guessing that since I hadn't run screaming that I was going to say yes.

I looked at the floor, pretending to think it over. "Maybe," I finally said. "But that's the best I can give you until your citation is officially cleared."

"How long does that take?" he asked.

I shrugged. "A few days, maybe a week. You'll get a letter," I offered helpfully.

Edward looked at me like maybe he wanted more than a letter, and since I had backed up as far as the doorway, I decided it was time to change the subject. "So are you really okay? About the Victoria thing?" He seemed like he was feeling better, but I wanted confirmation.

His expression darkened and he sighed. "Yes, I'll be okay. I just have to figure out what to do now, to get her exposed, you know? As much as I love the court system, it's not always the speediest way to get things done."

I reached over and gave him one last pat on the arm, forcing myself not to let my hand linger. "You'll figure it out. I… I should probably get back to work," I said reluctantly.

He held the door wide for me and ushered me through. "All right. I hear you've got some paperwork to do, so get to it." He smiled.

I returned his grin, and headed back towards the horrible noises coming from the dining room, indicating that Emmett was still busy saving the world from a zombie apocalypse.

"Bye, Emmett, I'm heading back to work." I waved, but he barely glanced at me.

"Uh huh," he mumbled, and I figured that was the best I would get.

Edward walked with me to the door and followed me onto the porch. "Well, thank you, Inspector Swan. This has been very informative."

"Thank you, Mr. Cullen. I'm so sorry that I had to deliver such serious news, but I do appreciate that your lawn has been cleaned up. Please do look for that letter from the city closing out your citation." I stuck out my hand, and he winked while shaking it.

"Oh, believe me, I will," he said earnestly.

I couldn't help blushing a little as I walked to my car and got in, but hopefully any nosy neighbors watching were too far away to notice. As soon as I turned off Edward's street, I let the smile I'd been holding in take over my face, and it stayed in place all the way back to the office, fueled by the giddy feeling in my stomach. I tried to tone it down as I walked to my desk, since I needed to focus long enough to do paperwork and I didn't want the guys to think something was up. Since I had spent a little longer than I'd planned at Edward's house, I was one of the last ones back to the office.

Forcing myself to concentrate, I completed the write-ups for the inspections I'd gone on that morning, including a lengthy report on the progress at Emmett's building site and what I'd authorized. Once I had sufficiently dimmed my smile by citing mundane sections of code, I went to Jacob's office and tapped on the door.

"Hey, Bella, how was your day today?" Jacob asked pointedly.

"It was great, everything at Cullen's was all cleaned up." I got right to the point, since I knew that was what he cared about most.

Jacob looked relieved. "That's wonderful news, I'll have to e-mail the mayor's aide right away. Although I wouldn't be surprised if he already knows – some of his contributors probably sent him a thank-you muffin basket the moment the stuff was moved," he said, rolling his eyes. "As long as we don't get called out there next week for weed build-up, we should be all good."

"Oh, I told him to hire a landscaper," I said without thinking. "Um… at least I think he did… everything looked fine today," I backpedaled quickly.

My boss's forehead furrowed in worry. "You told him to hire a landscaper?"

"Well… I suggested he look into it," I said, hoping he bought my nonchalance.

He sighed. "The thing about Edward Cullen is that he tends to make things as hard on us as possible. If the city inspector suggests he hire a landscaper, I think he would let his weeds grow as tall as a cornfield just to spite us."

"Oh, well I… I didn't really suggest it as a city inspector," I said hesitantly, my thoughts running quickly trying to decide how much I should reveal. I was pretty sure it wasn't against the rules for me to see Edward as a friend, or even more, but I didn't know what Jacob would think.

"Really?" he asked. "I didn't know you knew him socially." His expression was unreadable, but I decided I had to tell the truth. At least some of it.

"Yes... not well, or anything, but my roommate is dating his roommate. And they both brought us along to dinner one time, so…" I trailed off, hoping he wouldn't ask me more questions.

"Oh, I see." He chuckled a little. "That must have been awkward."

I took heart in the fact that he wasn't yelling at me yet. "Um, yes. Yes it was." I fought the flush that wanted to paint my cheeks as I remembered cozying up to Edward and kissing his neck to scare the waitress away.

He shook his head and looked at me curiously again. "Well, Bella, we'll just have to wait and see if Mr. Cullen decides he wants to be in compliance with city regulations. But to be clear, there are no rules against… _socializing _with anyone in the public. Just in case you find yourself in that situation again."

"Thanks, I read the rulebook and couldn't find anything, but that's nice to know," I said politely, not sure if Jacob realized he was essentially giving me permission to date Edward Cullen.

"Although if he did break code again, I would have to assign another inspector. Just for conflict of interest reasons, not because you didn't do a good job," he clarified. "Does that make sense?"

"Of course, I understand." I hoped this would be the last time Edward tangled with the city, though. "Thank you, Jacob."

"Thank you, and good work. I'll make sure to mention your name to the mayor's aide," Jacob said with one last smile as he turned back to his computer.

I had an extra spring in my step on the way back to my desk, and finished up my reports in a flash. I wrote up Edward's close-out letter with the excitement of a girl writing a note to her high school crush, and as I pressed the print button I happily closed the file on Mr. Cullen, the code-breaker.

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><p><strong>*gasp* How evil is Victoria? I'd love to hear what you thought in a review! If you want to chat on Twitter, I'm mamabean30 over there.<strong>

**Just a note, this is as heavy as this story is going to get. I promise things will start looking up for Edward next chapter. Thanks for hanging in there, and see you next Wednesday!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks for your patience with the slow review replies this week – apparently FFN has fixed the glitch, so I should be back on schedule. Hope everyone who celebrated had a wonderful and restful holiday!**

**I could not have written this story without my amazing prereaders, BookishQua and Twilover76. I'm also incredibly lucky to have Detochkina as my beta - she even worked this chapter in early since she's on vacation. Thanks so much to all of them! They're wonderful authors all, so be sure to check out their stories if you haven't already.**

**And… characters belong to SM. Oh, well.**

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><p><em>Edward<em>

_._

"Jasper, did you get the mail?" I called impatiently as I barged through the door. Jazz's bike was out front and the mail wasn't in the box outside. I was expecting a very important letter from a certain city inspector, and it turned out I wasn't very good at waiting. After scanning the entryway, I still didn't see where he might have laid the stack of letters that was guaranteed to be eighty percent junk, so I moved into the kitchen to check there.

"Jasper?" I called again, starting to get irritated. There was no pile of letters on the counter, and I glanced in the dining room to see that nothing was on the coffee table either. "Jazz! Where are you?"

Storming through the house, I noticed that the door to the music room was shut, so I peeked inside to find Jazz fiddling with his guitar and wearing a pair of headphones hooked up to his amp. I waved to get his attention and he moved the headphones to his neck. "Hey man, what's up?"

"Did you get the mail?" I asked.

"Yeah, I did," Jazz answered, moving to replace his headphones.

"Wait!" I cried. "Where the fuck did you put it?"

"Put what?" he asked, but the mischievous look on his face told me he knew exactly what I was talking about.

"Fuck you, dude." I strode over to the wall, unplugged the amp, and held the cord up in the air. "Where… is… the… mail?"

Jasper smiled. "I put it on your desk, man. It looked like there might have been something important in the stack."

"Oh yeah? Anything from the City Office?"

"No, I think it was from Publisher's Clearing House. You're a finalist, or some shit. Congrats, Eddie!" he said with a laugh. "Make sure you remember your friends when you make it big."

I tossed the power cord at him and flipped him off, leaving him to his music. Hurrying down the hall to my office, I dove for the pile of paper on my desk. I tossed aside credit card applications and coupons until I saw what I'd been waiting for in a crisp, official-looking white envelope. Glancing back to make sure Jazz wasn't watching me, I ran my fingers reverently over the city logo before carefully opening the envelope and drawing out the paper inside.

_Dear Mr. Cullen, _

_Thank you for your cooperation with the City of Seattle…_

I scanned the paragraphs quickly to get to the part I needed to see. Even though I was pretty sure everything was fine, I let out a sigh of relief when I read that my citation was closed for good. I laid the paper carefully on my desk and kicked back in my chair to consider my next move.

Obviously, one of the first orders of business had to be getting Bella's phone number, but what would I say beyond 'Um, go out with me please?' I pulled out my phone and ran my hand over the screen, thinking for a while before pulling up a contact number I'd never thought I'd call.

Rose picked up after just one ring. "I'm still at the garage, and I don't know where Emmett is. Just call his cell back and leave a message," she said in place of a greeting.

I sighed. "Actually, Rose, I was calling to talk to you. Got a minute?"

She was silent for a few beats. "Sure, Edward," she said. "What's up?"

"Well, you know at the party the other night… and you said… um…" I floundered and trailed off, hoping she'd fill in the blank.

"Yes, I remember the party, Edward. What do you want?" She was clearly enjoying my discomfort.

"I want to ask Bella out," I forced out. Damn, if I couldn't say the words to Rosalie, how would I say them when I had Bella on the phone?

"Okay, good for you." Rosalie laughed. "And?"

"And… I need your help to plan a nice date," I said, exasperated with how stupid I felt.

"Why Edward, I'd love to." I could almost hear her grin through the phone. "I'm almost done here, can I just come over in half an hour or so?"

"Come over? We can't just do this over the phone?" I said, annoyed.

"No, it's too important. Why don't you call the deli on Third and order some sandwiches? I'll pick them up on my way. Order me a chicken salad on wheat, with the baked potato chips and a giant pickle," she said, with an air of authority I didn't want to question.

"Sure, whatever," I grumbled, hanging up the phone.

I wandered to the kitchen and paged through our collection of take-out menus until I found the deli Rose requested. At the last minute, I decided I'd better get a sandwich for Jasper, too, then added one for Emmett just in case he showed up. I also ordered an assortment of chips, some potato salad and cookies, and paid for it all with my credit card so that Rose couldn't complain about picking up the tab.

I had half an hour to kill, so I flipped on the Xbox, but when I couldn't pick a game to get into I gave up and went back to the office. Shuffling random papers and intermittently glancing out the window kept me busy until I saw Rose's red BMW convertible pull up to the curb. I opened the door to meet her on the porch, struggling with a giant bag of food.

"Jeez, Edward, did you order enough food to last the rest of the week?" she asked.

I shrugged and took the bag from her, heading into the kitchen. "I just got a few extra sandwiches for Jasper, and in case Emmett shows up."

Rose looked at me, eyebrow arched. "You know, you're really thoughtful when you're not being a complete prick. That can only help us here."

I reached for the stack of heavy-duty paper plates Jazz and I usually used, and started unpacking the food. We had accumulated an impressive selection of mismatched dishes in our cupboard, but we preferred to minimize the need to wash dishes by using disposable most of the time.

Just as I was considering whether I felt like running to the music room to tell Jazz there was food, he ambled into the kitchen and his eyes lit up at the sight of the deli bag. "Oh, sweet, is that an extra roast beef?"

I tossed him the sandwich and slid him a plate, and the kitchen fell silent as we scooped potato salad and dug in. Rose set the last sandwich aside. "Emmett called me on my way here, so he's coming over too. He can entertain Jasper while you and I talk."

Jasper perked up. "What are you two chatting about?"

"Nothing," I said quickly.

"Oh, really?" he asked, swallowing a bite of his sandwich and grinning wide. "This wouldn't have anything to do with a letter you got today, would it?"

"Nope, I don't know what you're talking about," I said emphatically. "And even if I did, I wouldn't want any information to get back to anyone through your girlfriend."

Jasper looked appropriately chagrined. "Yeah, you're right. I'm going to take this and go finish up in the music room, and then head over to Alice's." He grabbed his plate and added a few cookies. "Thanks for dinner, man," he called over his shoulder on his way out the door.

Rose sat down on one of the barstools pulled up to the countertop, directly across from where I was leaning, eating my sandwich. She moved her plate to the side and got out a small notepad and a blue pen from her bag. "So, should we get started?"

I shook my head at her. "You're really serious about this, huh?"

She smiled. "You asked for my help, and I take my job seriously. I figure, after how badly you fucked this up in the beginning, you owe it to this woman to sweep her off her feet."

"I guess I didn't think of it that way," I mumbled, running my hand through my hair from the stress.

Rosalie waved her pen in the air to get my attention again. "Don't worry about that right now. Somehow it seems like she's willing to go out with you, right?"

I nodded.

"Well, then we'll just plan a fabulous date so she'll forget all about what an asshole you were," she said with a bright smile. She cleared her throat, then started again, "So, the way I see it, you've spent some time with her already, right?"

I nodded again. So far this was pretty easy.

She stared at me for a moment, as if assessing the need for any input from me, then continued, "This seems more like a second date to me. There's not as much risk, because you're pretty sure you like spending time with her, right?"

The way Rose was looking at me expectantly, I didn't think I could get away with nodding a third time. "Right," I said simply and flashed her a charming smile.

She rolled her eyes at me in return. "Do you expect me to just plan this whole thing with no input from you?"

I wasn't sure what answer she wanted to hear. "Um… yes?"

She picked a grape from the edge of her chicken salad sandwich and threw it at me, leaving a smear of mayonnaise behind as it bounced off my forehead. "What the hell?" I yelled, rubbing my face with a napkin.

"Wrong answer," she said sternly. "I'm here to help you, but you've got to do some of the planning too. Just think of it as part of your penance," she smirked.

I suppressed a sigh, as to not piss off Rose any further. "Okay, fine. So where do we start?"

Rose tapped her pen against her pursed lips a few times, thinking. "What's your goal with this date, Edward?" Before I could answer, her hand flew up in front of my face. "If you say 'sex,' I'm kicking you in the nuts," she warned.

I thought about messing with her, but reconsidered when I saw her pointy shoes; so I shook my head innocently instead. "I wouldn't say that, Rose." Even if it was a little bit true, I wasn't about to admit it to her. "I just… I want to get to know her a little more, spend some time with her and have some fun." It was mostly the truth and sounded very honorable.

She looked at me like she could hear the less chivalrous thoughts I was keeping to myself. "Well, the ideal get-to-know-you date is at a place that's kind of quiet to talk and learn more about each other, but you have something to do in case the conversation lulls." She paused for a moment. "Can you think of anywhere that fits that description? It adds a nice personal touch if you take her to one of your favorite places, because that shows that you trust her and want to tell her more about you, too."

I stared at her, floored for a moment. It made sense, but I'd never thought that deeply into things before. Who knew girls analyzed that shit? I shook my head to focus. "Um… I don't know. I like the beach and the Sound, I guess. Discovery Park?"

Rose was already nodding. "I can see that. There's lots of options, with the beach, or hiking trails, or the lighthouse. How would you feel about a picnic?"

"That sounds good, but I don't really know what she likes." Besides chocolate mousse, anyway… and my brain wandered into sensual territory as I remembered Bella's lips on my neck in the restaurant.

"Whoa, I know that look. Don't make me throw another grape," Rosalie threatened, and I snapped back to the present. "So, maybe you go pick up food first… hey, how about going to Pike Place market? Parking is a pain in the ass, and it's kind of touristy, but it's still fun. You could get some bread and cheese, and fruit or whatever, but let her pick. You'll have to start your date mid-morning, then," she noted.

I shrugged. "That's fine with me. I guess all I can do is ask her, right?"

Rose was getting excited. "And then you can go have a picnic, and play it by ear – maybe take a walk, explore a little. If you're really charming, you can take her to dinner too. But pick out someplace close to the park and casual, so she doesn't feel like she needs to change clothes."

"Sure, sounds good," I agreed.

"And bring a blanket for the picnic, and a basket with some napkins and stuff," she continued.

"Okay," I agreed.

"And go scope out picnic areas beforehand, so you know what you're doing the day of the date. And compliment her on how she looks, without sexual innuendos. You know that, right?" She frowned at me. "Why aren't you taking notes? I'm giving you gold here."

"All right, damn it, give me your pen." I reached for her blue ballpoint and the notebook she had yet to write in, and started taking notes as she ran through the plan again.

Just as we were finishing up, Emmett barged in the door and gave Rose an enthusiastic kiss hello. I distracted him with a meatball sub before the kiss could escalate further, and he added a mountain of potato salad and four cookies to his plate.

"So how's the plan coming?" he asked, before stuffing an inhumanly large bite of sandwich into his mouth.

"I think it's great," Rose said. "She's going to love it, Edward."

I certainly hoped so. Now I actually had to get her to agree to go out with me. Which reminded me…

"Rose, can you give me Bella's number?" I asked, sheepish.

She chuckled but pulled out her phone and wrote the number on the notepad. "There you go. Now she just has to say yes," she teased.

"Thanks," I said sincerely. I was still nervous, but at least with Rose's plan I had a shot.

"Oh, and Edward? One more thing," Rose said, rolling her eyes at the speed at which Emmett's sandwich was disappearing. "Not that this should even enter your head for a few more dates, but… do you still sleep on that old couch?"

"Yeah…" I said, not seeing the connection. "What? It's comfortable, and I don't really need anything else."

"Well, you might want to think about buying a grown-up bed. In case, you know... you ever want Bella to sleep over. Just think about it, okay?"

The thought of Bella in my bed gave my brain lots of new fantasy material. I raced through scenarios and positions, and suddenly buying a bed sounded like a very good idea indeed. "Yeah, I will. Thanks, Rose," I said distractedly.

Emmett grinned proudly at Rosalie and pulled her closer. "Way to go, baby. Now if you could just fix Edward's problem with his lying evil almost-stepmother, his life would be pretty damn perfect."

I scowled, yanked from the vision of Bella by Emmett's reminder of the fucked-up situation I still had to deal with. I'd filed a motion to force Victoria to take a pregnancy test, but so far her lawyers were delaying with some emotional distress bullshit. She was probably trying to figure out how she could cheat on it, or maybe she was tracking down some pregnant urine so she could use one of those drug-test beating gizmos.

Rose looked at me and sighed. "Way to go, Emmett. I had him happy and psyched up to call Bella, and now he's getting all emo again."

"I'm not emo," I protested. "Victoria just pisses me off, is all."

"With good reason, dude," Emmett said comfortingly. "She's a first-class lying bitch. I wish I could say something to James and get him to turn her in or something, but he's just as slimy as she is, and he technically works for the subcontractor so I can't threaten to fire him."

"He should be worried, though. Isn't he like an accessory to all this, if he knows and doesn't say anything?" Rose said.

"Yeah, but that's hard to prove, as long as he's not directly involved with the extortion," I said, pondering the possibilities.

"Emmett, how smart is this guy?" Rose queried.

He shrugged. "I don't know, average, I guess. Seems like he pretty much does what he's told." Looking at the smile spreading across his fiancée's face, he broke into a grin himself. "Why, baby? Do you have a brilliant idea?"

"As a matter of fact…" Rose smiled.

~~~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~~

About an hour later, we had a solid plan, as long as Jasper was willing to play the part we'd drafted for him. I was feeling a little antsy to get my date with Bella planned for real.

Rosalie caught me fiddling with the notebook and staring longingly at the phone number it contained, and she chuckled. "Go, call her. We've got this in the bag now," she said.

"Damn right we do, baby," Emmett said as he leaned in to kiss her. "You're so smart, have I told you that? I mean, you hooked up with me, so that's a good sign of intelligence already, but seriously. You should have been a rocket scientist, I think."

Rose laughed and kissed him back, and soon it seemed like they were anxious to head home. I waved them out with one more thanks to Rose for her help.

I closed the door and leaned against it with a heavy sigh. Gathering my courage, I walked back over to the kitchen counter where the notebook lay open with Bella's phone number displayed. I dialed the numbers slowly, saved the number, and pressed the little green button to send the call. Holding my breath, the phone rang twice, and then…

"Hello?" a sweet voice answered.

"Hi, um… Bella?" I asked.

"Yes, who's this?" she asked politely but firmly.

"Oh sorry, it's Edward," I said, feeling foolish that I hadn't started with that.

"Hey, Edward," she said, sounding happy to hear from me.

"Hi," I replied.

After a few beats of silence, I realized I should probably say something else, and fast. "So I was calling because… I got my letter, and now I have a question for you."

"Oh… really?" Bella said, sounding a bit disappointed. "Wasn't my office number on the letter? Wait… how did you get this number, anyway?"

"Uh… Rose gave it to me. I hope that's okay, I mean. If you want, I can delete it and call you back at your office," I offered, pounding my fist on my forehead. How could I have gotten this so wrong already?

"No, no!" she said quickly. "This is completely fine. What's your question about the letter?"

"The letter? I don't have a question about the letter," I replied, confused. Replaying the conversation back in my head, I understood her confusion. "Sorry, I didn't mean that I had a question about the letter. Just a question for you." I shook my head at myself, feeling horribly rusty at all of this.

"Okay?"

I sighed but tried to keep my exhale away from the phone so she couldn't hear. "So, now that my case is closed out, I was hoping… we could go out sometime."

"Oh," was all she said, and I had no idea if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I waited for her to keep talking, but nothing came. "So…" I led, hoping she'd say yes and put me out of my misery.

"You said you had a question?" She was teasing me now, I could hear it in her voice, and it made me smile. She must have taken lessons from Rosalie and Jasper, because apparently it was 'mess with Edward' day.

"Why yes, I do," I said, taking the fact that she hadn't hung up on me as a positive sign. "Will you go out with me?"

"Yes, Edward. I'd like that," she replied demurely.

I grinned wide and fist-pumped. "Soon?" I followed up.

"Sure," she said. "When were you thinking?"

"How about Saturday?" I asked. "Are you free starting around ten-thirty?"

"In the morning?" She seemed surprised.

"Yeah, is that okay? I made some plans, but they're flexible."

"Sure, that sounds nice," she replied. "What kind of plans?"

I pondered a moment. "I actually think they should be a surprise."

"As long as you promise you're not taking me trolling for junk," she teased.

"Scout's honor," I said, holding my hand up even though she couldn't see it.

"I have a hard time seeing you as a boy scout." Bella laughed, and I smiled wider at the sound.

"All right, you got me," I confessed. "I wasn't a boy scout. Is that a deal-breaker for a date with you?"

"Hmmm… I guess not. It wasn't on my list, anyway," she reminded me. "But I do need to know how to dress," she reminded me.

"How to dress?"

"Yes, Edward. What do you want me to wear for this date of ours?" she asked, her tone a lethal blend of sensuality and innocence.

I gulped, suddenly picturing Bella wearing as little as possible. However, I thought that answer might jeopardize my chances of actually seeing her naked at some point, so I cleared my throat to make sure my voice didn't squeak before I responded. "Whatever makes you comfortable, Bella," I said.

I heard her take a deep breath. "So, jeans? Casual?" She pressed for clarification.

I pouted a bit as my imaginary Bella started putting more clothes on, but comforted myself with the fact that her jeans were almost guaranteed to make her ass look phenomenal. "Jeans would be perfect," I said.

"All right, then. I'll see you at ten-thirty on Saturday. Do you want me to come there, or…" she trailed off, no doubt feeling a bit awkward being seen at my house.

"No, I'll pick you up. Is that okay? I could get the address from Jasper…" I wanted to drive, but I didn't want to invade her privacy.

"Sure," she said shyly. "I'm looking forward to it."

"See you then, Bella."

"See you then," she said. There was an awkward pause while we both wondered who should say goodbye first. "Well, goodbye, Edward. Thanks for calling," she added softly.

"Yeah, you're welcome, I mean… goodbye, Bella."

She giggled, and the sound warmed my whole body. "Bye," she whispered, and the call ended.

I stood frozen for a minute or two, staring at my phone with an idiotic grin. The stillness was palpable, and I was suddenly aware of how alone I was in the house. I was all amped up for my date, but I had nothing to do and no one to do it with, so I grabbed my keys and decided to head to Discovery Park to scout out the perfect picnic location.

I walked around the park until I found a hill, which was a little off the beaten path, but not too far of a hike from the car. The grassy surface gave way to a rocky beach, and I figured if things were going well we could play around there for a while, or walk around the rest of the park. The lighthouse was close enough to walk to, and looked like a spot just made for a romantic date out of a cheesy chick-flick. Which was sort of what I was going for, but better.

I wandered the park for a while more, then headed back to my car. All through my walk, thoughts of being in bed with Bella wouldn't leave my mind, so I headed to the furniture store where we'd bought the recliners before.

The store must have been slow that evening, because the salespeople descended like vultures as soon as I entered. A guy in an uncomfortably starched blue button-down shirt was the first to shake my hand, and the other two turned away in disappointment.

"Hey there, how are you this fine evening?" he asked with false warmth. "I'm Riley."

"Hi, Riley," I said, matching his enthusiasm but laying it on thicker. My mind was already racing with ways I could mess with this guy. I could ask him which headboard would hold up to multiple pairs of handcuffs, or how well bodily fluids would clean off a leather couch, or… I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Which was buying a bed. Although, if Bella was into it, the handcuff thing might not be a bad idea.

"And you are?" he asked, since I'd missed his obvious social cue to introduce myself.

"I'm… looking for a bed," I deflected. Maybe I was just being obstinate, but I didn't want to tell this douchebag my name if I didn't have to.

Riley's pasted-on smile faltered for a moment but returned even brighter. "Right this way, sir. Do you know what type of mattress you're looking for? We have a variety of types, traditional innerspring mattresses, memory foam, or air filled. What are you sleeping on right now?"

"I sleep on an old couch, actually," I answered with plenty of zeal in my voice, and resisted the urge to laugh as Riley's face fell again. I could almost see him mentally readjusting his potential commission and debating if he should have left me to one of his less speedy colleagues.

"Oh… well." He stumbled over his words but maintained his slick salesman tone. "Do you have an idea of what you'd like to switch to? Or we could just start by trying out the different types, and going from there," he suggested.

"Brilliant, Riley!" I exclaimed. "Let's do that!"

I sat experimentally on the first mattress I saw and gave it a few test bounces. It seemed just fine, so I moved to the one across the aisle and did the same thing. It felt exactly the same, and I actually looked again to make sure I hadn't just moved to the other side of the same bed. The price tags showed a $300 difference, though - I was stumped.

My confusion must have been evident on my face, because Riley piped up again with his schmaltzy sales pitch. "These are all variations of a traditional innerspring mattress, so there are a lot of differences as far as firmness, pillow-top, coil count – here, let me show you." He reached for a cut-away mattress that showed all the innards, under the mistaken impression that I actually gave a fuck what all his fancy mattress words meant.

I held up my hand before he could launch into the history of sleep or something. I'd seen enough torn-up mattresses in my junk hunting days to realize what they were made of. "Well, Riley, that's absolutely _fascinating_," I emphasized the word so much that even the obtuse salesman had to hear the sarcastic italics. "But really I'm just looking for the most comfortable bed you've got." If Bella would ever spend the night, I wanted something quality that would be restful for her after a long day of inspections. And it had to be a king-size, so we had plenty of room for spectacular sex.

Riley chuckled in a way that made me want to punch him. "Comfort is a very subjective thing, Mr…" he trailed off, hoping I'd fill in my name, but this time I just ignored him.

I found that usually the best stuff came with the highest price tags, so I bypassed the aisle I was currently in and skipped ahead to the more expensive stuff. Riley was still caught up in his teaching aid, so I left him behind, but he quickly tossed it and jogged to catch up.

"These are some of our higher end products," he said, as though I couldn't read the price tags. I rolled my eyes and sat down on one to check it out. "You can feel free to lay down if you want, take it for a real test drive," Riley encouraged with a new light in his eyes now that I was in the expensive section.

Settling into the mattress, I had to acknowledge that this one felt different. It seemed to be made out of some weird foam stuff, and it didn't bounce much at all. I thought it could be really comfortable to sleep on, but would it be distracting during sex? I debated asking Riley, but he didn't seem like the type to get laid a lot.

After trying out several different beds, I settled on the most expensive of the normal kind, since I couldn't try out my sex moves on the foam in front of the whole store. I also got a simple but sturdy headboard and frame, and I subtly rattled the slats to see if they'd hold up to handcuffs or a nice silk scarf, since it never hurt to be prepared. Riley was kind enough to inform me that for a little extra, everything could be delivered the next day, and I decided to go for it. Not that I expected to need it soon, but still, better safe than sorry.

After I finished up with the salesman and walked away leaving his final handshake hanging, I went to the nearest department store and picked out some sheets and a comforter. I had no clue what the numbers on the sheets really meant, but I figured I couldn't go wrong by choosing the most expensive ones.

A saleswoman was watching me from a distance, but I tried to look like I knew what I was doing and she kept her distance. For the color, I chose a manly slate gray, with a dark gray and blue striped comforter. As an afterthought, I grabbed some pillows and threw them in the cart.

I drove home and hauled the multiple bags up to my room, setting them to the side so there was plenty of space when the bed was delivered. Stripping down to my boxers and a t-shirt, I sank down onto my couch with a happy sigh. I'd miss sleeping on my couch, but the dreams I had of Bella in my bed would definitely make the upgrade worthwhile.

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><p><strong>Oh, Edward… getting a little ahead of yourself? ;) I'd love to hear from you, and I answer all reviews, so drop me a line! If you want to chat on Twitter, I'm mamabean30 over there.<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Holy cow, I was down to the wire on editing this one – thanks to my pre-readers BookishQua and Twilover76 for the helpful comments to get me through. Also, you all need to send my beta Detochkina a big basket of chocolate for this chapter, she talked me down from the ledge and made me laugh with her great ideas. Thanks so much! They're all very talented authors, so give their stories a look.**

**Nope, still don't own the characters. But I think I'll live.**

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><p><em>Bella<em>

_. _

"Bella, are you _sure _you won't wear the dress I made?" Alice pouted in the background of the mirror I was checking just once more.

"He said casual, Alice, and I don't want to be overdressed if he takes me for a bike ride or something," I explained for the hundredth time. "That dress is amazing, but it's a _day_ date. Don't you think eveningwear would be a little much?"

She sighed in defeat. "Yes, I suppose you're right. I'm just excited for you, honey – you haven't had a date in a while, and you seem to really like Edward now that you're past all that code violation lawsuit stuff."

I chuckled at Alice's easy dismissal of the last few months of drama between Edward and I. She had such high hopes for my date, and she had crafted an exquisitely daring dress made of a deep green fabric that shimmered slightly when it hit the light. While I was touched by the gesture, the dress was a little intimidating with the amount of skin it showed, so I was glad to be going casual today. Maybe on the second or third date, assuming there would be one, I'd be brave enough to wear it and blow his mind.

Surveying my reflection, I was satisfied. I was wearing a pair of jeans that made my ass look pretty damn good, and a lavender tank that revealed just the right amount of cleavage. Over Alice's objections, I had my favorite purple Converse sneakers on my feet, since the heeled sandals she wanted me to wear were vetoed in case Edward was planning something active.

I blushed, briefly pondering something active I'd like to do with Edward that involved no clothes at all, but forced those thoughts to the back of my mind. That was definitely something to save for the second or third date…

Alice was staring at me like the dirty thoughts were written on my face, and she laughed. "Go Bella! That boy isn't going to know what hit him."

I opened my mouth to object but stopped short when I heard our buzzer signal that someone was at the front door. Grabbing a lightweight gray sweater in case it got chilly, I hit the button to let him in the building and moved to head out the door when Alice grabbed my arm.

"Bella, do you know nothing at all?" she exclaimed. "Make him come to you, sweetie."

I rolled my eyes but closed the door and waited for the knock. Again, Alice pulled me back when I moved to answer it. "Wait a few more seconds," she hissed.

I shook loose of her arm and answered the door with a smile. "Hi, Edward," I said, reaching for my purse so we could leave before Alice could meddle too much.

"Hey, are you ready to go?" He scanned my body appreciatively, and I gave myself an internal high five.

"Yeah, I think so. Bye, Alice," I said over my shoulder, aware of her eyes on us analyzing our every move. Even so, I couldn't hold back a small shiver of pleasure as Edward put his hand on my back to guide me through the apartment door.

I wasn't a car snob or anything, but when we reached the parking lot I was relieved to see we'd be riding in the Aston Martin for the day instead of the rusty old truck. Both cars fit Edward, oddly enough, but the sports car was definitely a more romantic choice. He opened my door and gallantly swept his hand in invitation, and I snuggled into the rich leather seat with a satisfied sigh. He jogged around the front of the car and slid into the driver's seat, looking at me with a playful smirk before starting the engine and pulling out onto the road.

"So, when are you going to tell me where we're going?" I asked, with an answering smile.

Edward rubbed the smooth line of his jaw in contemplation, and I was a little jealous of those fingers. He must have caught me staring in his peripheral vision, because his grin widened. "I don't know… what's it worth to you?" he teased.

I bit my lip in thought. I _was_ curious, but I didn't want to seem too forward. "What if I answer a question of yours in return?" I said, in my best flirty voice.

Edward perked up. "Any question?"

I gulped. "I get one veto," I said, remembering too late that he was a quick-witted attorney and an expert at thinking on his feet.

Pulling to a stop at a light, Edward eyed me with a half-smile. "You've got yourself a deal, Bella. We're going to Pike's Place Market to buy food, then we're going on a picnic," he said, turning back to the road. "I hope that sounds good to you. I know the market is kind of touristy, but I think it can be really fun."

I was surprised and delighted by his thoughtfulness. "Wow, that sounds perfect, Edward." I smiled and reached out to touch his arm, not counting on his quick reflexes. He grabbed my fingers and tangled them with his own.

He glanced down at our entwined hands and squeezed lightly, a shy smile on his face. "Sorry... uh, is this okay?"

I shook my head and grinned at his cheesy move but didn't pull away. "Sure," I replied evenly, although I was squealing with excitement inside.

Edward hummed happily and rubbed my thumb with his own, sending delicious tingles up and down my arm. I waited patiently for whatever he could throw at me, but after a few minutes, I couldn't take it anymore. "So, what's my question?"

"Hmm?" Edward seemed lost in thought. "Oh, I think I'll save it. You never know what might come up later in the day that I might want to know more about." He winked as he glanced my way.

I huffed and considered pulling my hand away, but I was becoming somewhat addicted to the way Edward continued to gently caress my thumb, and the pleasant feeling that was spreading through my body. Smiling in spite of myself, I decided to just enjoy the ride and settled back down into my seat, watching the downtown buildings start to flash by as we made cheery small talk.

Regretfully, Edward had to reclaim the use of both hands when he pulled into the downtown parking garage, but once the car was parked and we were heading towards the street, he brushed his fingers against mine a few times and lacing them together again.

The sun warmed the early summer day as we crossed the street to the entrance of the market, and as always, I drank in the barrage of sights, smells, and sounds of the different shops and all the people. We pushed through the initial crowd of tourists, who were gathered around gaping at the workers throwing fish to fill various orders.

The next booth was awash with flowers arranged in bright bouquets, and next came a shop with silver jewelry aimed at the tourist crowd. We strolled lazily down the sidewalk, enjoying each other's company as we passed fruit stands next to t-shirt stores, and of course, several different displays of Seattle's famous seafood on beds of ice.

At a shop displaying a bathtub contraption in the window, Edward stopped and tugged my hand to follow him into the store. I'd heard about Beecher's cheese, but hadn't yet been inside, so he explained that there was an actual cheese factory inside the store. Several tubs were full of milk in various stages on their way to the final product, and small signs in the windows explained the process.

"Should we pick out some cheese for our picnic?" Edward suggested.

"Hmm, I don't know. Do you think we're cheese-compatible?" I mused, tapping my finger on my chin in thought.

He laughed. "What on earth does that mean?"

"Well, if you pick Roquefort and I pick Camembert, they're both smelly, so the smells would clash. If we kissed afterwards it would taste terrible," I replied without thinking, and then blushed. "Not that we're going to kiss, I just… um…"

Edward wiped his hand across his mouth, clearly trying to hold back laughter. "So what would be an example of compatible cheeses?"

I chuckled, realizing how crazy I probably sounded. "Well, I can't tell you that. We have to each pick one and see what we come up with."

"All right then." He smiled widely, so I hoped my insanity hadn't completely turned him off. "Ladies first."

"Turn around and plug your ears, Edward," I ordered, feeling a little silly as the woman at the counter eyed us with curiosity. Luckily we'd gotten there early enough to beat the lunch rush, so it wasn't like we were pissing off a whole line of customers.

I looked over the vast array of cheese, glancing back over my shoulder to make sure Edward wasn't peeking. After a few moments I decided on Havarti – rich and flavorful enough to stand on its own, but it would still go nicely with bread or crackers if we chose some. Maybe I was cheating a little by picking something safe, but it really was one of my favorites.

Paying for my selection, I tapped Edward on the shoulder. "Your turn, sir."

"All right then, now _you_ turn around." He swirled his finger at me, indicating that I should move.

"Why? I can't change my choice, so it doesn't matter if I see what you get," I shot back.

"I still want it to be a surprise, okay? Now turn and plug your ears." He grabbed my shoulders and rotated me around, and the feel of his warm hands on my skin distracted me. He rubbed his hands across my shoulders and down my arms, and then leaned in close to my ear. "Now, can I trust you not to move?"

I nodded and obediently plugged my ears, grazing his chin with my fingers as I passed by. He patted my arm once more, and I stood feeling foolish for a minute or two until he startled me by grabbing my hand.

"All set. Let's go find some bread or something to go with this," he said with a wink.

We continued on through the market, adding a baguette to our picnic supplies. A large fruit stand was offering samples, so we flirted openly while feeding each other bits of fruit on toothpicks. Finally we added some deliciously juicy pears, crisp apples, and ripe cherries to our shopping bag, and purchased some locally made summer sausage at the next booth over.

"Okay, now we just need dessert. How do we find out if we're dessert-compatible?" Edward teased, and I blushed.

"Maybe you should just feed me chocolate, and we'll be fine," I replied, only half-kidding, and his eyes filled with heat.

"That sounds just perfect to me," he said, and I flushed again.

We passed a bakery shortly afterward, and Edward made a show of choosing a slice of the most decadent chocolate layer cake they offered. "This one has layers of mousse, and I seem to remember you had some rather specific plans involving chocolate mousse at one point," he said, eyebrow raised. "I was quite curious to see what those plans involved."

I remembered my fantasy of licking dessert off his body, and my face grew hot but I looked him in the eye anyway. "Getting a little ahead of yourself? Dessert comes at the very end of the meal, and that's only if you've been good," I challenged.

"Oh, I'll definitely be good," he replied, giving my hand a squeeze and running his fingers up my arm before releasing me so he could pay for the purchase.

I fanned myself subtly; it seemed very hot in the bakery all of a sudden. Must be all those ovens.

A stop or two later, Edward tested the straps of the shopping bag he'd brought. "This feels pretty full, should we go eat?"

Encouraged my my approving nod, he turned us around, holding my hand again as we wandered back towards the car. The market had gotten fuller as time went on, and we had to weave through crowds of tourists to get back to the entrance. When we broke free of the throng of people, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"You don't like crowds?" Edward asked, looking like he was trying to commit every possible fact about me to memory.

"I don't mind them usually, I'm just excited to get on with the rest of our day, I guess," I said.

Edward looked pleased and swung our hands playfully while we walked towards the parking garage. "So, I guess I've never asked you," he said as he unlocked the car and opened my door. "I know you're good at your job, but do you actually like being a city inspector?"

I considered his question, thankful for the unexpected compliment. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's always interesting, that's for sure. I never in a million years imagined myself doing this, though." I laughed, remembering my college dreams of designing eco-friendly homes and condo buildings.

"Really? What did you want to do?" Edward asked.

"Well, I went to school for architecture. I always thought I'd get a few years of experience somewhere and then start my own firm someday, specializing in green design. But when I graduated, there was no construction going on, so nobody was hiring. I was really lucky that this job came up, actually."

Edward was silent for a moment. "Would you still want to open your own firm, if you had the capital?"

I chuckled. "Of course, but unless I've got a rich relative on their deathbed that I don't know about, that's not going to happen. Plus, I'm finally getting past all the stuff with the guys…" I trailed off, feeling the tension between Edward as a date, and Edward as an attorney and former city code-breaker.

"What stuff?"

I struggled with how much to tell him. "The other inspectors were hard on me at first. But it's… it's getting better now." I wanted to share that the way his case turned out had bought me some credibility, so he knew that at least a little good had come out of the trouble he'd put me through, but given his history of suing the city, I wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

Without meaning to, I got myself all worked up about how much I should share with Edward about my job. By the time I decided I should just change the subject, I noticed that he hadn't said anything in several minutes and a muscle in his jaw seemed to be working very hard, like he was angry about something.

"Edward?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said curtly.

"What's wrong?"

He cleared his throat. "I just… I don't like that those guys don't treat you well."

I laughed in spite of myself. "This, from a guy who asked me if I was a stripper the first time we met?"

Edward turned red. "Yeah, I guess you're right about that."

The silence in the car grew uncomfortably long and I sighed. I hadn't meant to ruin the mood, but the fact remained that our respective jobs could be an obstacle in our relationship, if we developed one.

"You know that I'm sorry, right?" he said after a few minutes. "I didn't mean anything… sexist by it, I was just trying to… I don't know, throw you off guard or something. It was stupid and… immature, and I shouldn't have said it." He stumbled through his apology like an unfamiliar dark room, and I was touched by the effort, even if the content wasn't perfect.

"I know, Edward. You just… you don't think about other people's feelings much. I know you like to mess around with people." I looked for the right words to make my point without being preachy. "But in my case, at least, you came off as really insensitive. And I can get around that, but you have to give me a little time to trust you."

Edward's shoulders slumped. Well, this date was going spectacularly so far… I rolled my eyes at myself and ransacked my brain for a light-hearted subject change. His job, or lack thereof… no. Victoria… hell no. His house… could lead to his dad, so no. I hadn't been on a first date in a while, and my small talk was pitifully rusty.

"How's Jasper's job going?" I finally asked.

Edward shrugged but seemed grateful for the change in subject. "It seems to be going well. He's happy, at least when I see him. Which is much less than I used to." He shook his head, and I thought I caught a forlorn look in his eye as he made a right-hand turn. He must miss hanging out with Jasper, or be lonely by himself all day, so this subject wasn't all sunshine and roses either.

"Well, he and Alice must be spending the nights there sometimes, right? I've been enjoying the quiet." I elbowed him with a smile on my face. "I hope they aren't keeping you up too much."

That got a chuckle out of him, at least. "No, thankfully Jasper's room is far enough from mine that I don't hear much. Although I did hear Alice yelling something about riding with boots on the other day..." He shuddered slightly.

"Tell me about it. I was sleeping with my earbuds in for a week or two, until I finally had to let Alice know that the walls weren't as thick as she thought."

He smiled in return, and although the conversation died out again, the silence was much more comfortable this time. We were winding our way into Discovery Park, so I relaxed and enjoyed the scenery until Edward pulled into a parking spot.

Ever the gentleman, he motioned for me to wait while he came around to open my door. We paused at the trunk to grab our shopping bag as well as a blanket and a basket that I hadn't noticed earlier. I took the bag from him and he lead the way into the park.

We walked for a few minutes, and it was strange to me how I already missed holding his hand, even though both of our arms were currently full of our picnic.

When we reached a grassy hill overlooking the rocky beach, he stopped and put down the basket, pulling me to face him. "I'm really glad you're here with me today, Bella," he said, the sincerity of his words going straight to my heart.

"Me too," I said, smiling and blushing before he released me to shake out the blanket and lay it down.

"This is a lovely spot," I complimented.

He looked up from unpacking our food to hand me a plate. "Thanks, I'm glad you like it," he said but paused when he pulled out the bag from Beecher's.

"Is it time for the big reveal? The moment of truth? Are we cheese-compatible?"

"Hey, I'll have you know it _is_ a big step, Edward. Don't ignore the power of the cheese compatibility test." I started laughing.

He proudly showed me a wedge of sharp, aged cheddar that would contrast nicely with the buttery Havarti I'd picked. I dramatically cut a slice from each one and put them on crackers, tasting one and then the other and chewing thoughtfully. "Mmmm, Edward, that's good," I moaned. "I'd say we passed with flying colors. Here, try some."

He shook his head and smiled but leaned in to take the bites I offered. "Well, I'm relieved. That's delicious," he said with a satisfied smirk. "I must confess, though, I saw this suggested in the store and wanted to try it..." He cut a wedge of pear, added a slice of cheddar, and held out the tempting morsel until I moved toward him to taste it. The nutty, rich cheese brought out the flavor of the sweet fruit, and I moaned as much from the delicious combination as from the feel of Edward's fingers against my lips.

"Mmmm, more please," I said, hoping he'd feed me again, and I wasn't disappointed. I grew bolder with this bite, and drew the tip of his finger into my mouth along with the fruit, sucking briefly. Thrilled and yet a little nervous about the lustful look on his face, I decided to lighten the mood for now. "What fruit do you think my cheese would go with?" I asked, turning his attention back to the picnic basket.

Edward drew an apple out of the bag and contemplated it, running his fingers over the pink curves. "I think this looks just perfect." He held it to his nose and inhaled, somehow managing to look both sensual and goofy. "It's so round and smooth, I could touch it all day," he said, still caressing the apple but staring at my chest. "Probably even better if I taste it, though." He moved his eyes to my face and took a giant bite, crunching through the flesh while juice ran down his fingers.

I wasn't sure whether to laugh or jump him so I could lick the drops from his hand before moving on to the rest of his body. I cleared my throat. "Um... you forgot the cheese."

"Oh, I didn't forget." He winked and broke off a piece of my soft white cheese, placing it in his mouth reverently before chewing and groaning in delight. "That's a tasty combination, just as I suspected."

I gave him a nervous laugh, but two could play this game. I pulled the baguette from the bag and ran my hand up and down it suggestively. "I happen to believe that your cheese would go spectacularly with this, Edward. I think it would be a pleasure to have in my mouth."

He choked mid-bite of his apple and stared at me. "Really, Bella? Because I think that could be arranged."

I smiled seductively, then grabbed the knife and stabbed it into the bread. Edward winced. Once I'd cut a slice, I added the cheese and took a bite. "Mmmmm... delicious." I winked at him, and we both laughed.

We continued feeding each other bites of our picnic, the atmosphere dancing between sensual and humorous depending on the combinations of food we chose. Edward decided to try summer sausage with cherries, and made such a funny face that I almost fell over laughing, reaching out to stabilize myself on his arm.

Our eyes locked, and my laughter faded with the sparks crackling between us. Almost unconsciously, I moved closer and licked my lips, thrilled when his green eyes darkened.

Still, he didn't move, and I decided he must be waiting for me to take the lead. "Edward," I said softly; he nodded slightly in response. "You said that there might be something you want that money can't buy. What might that be?"

His gaze flickered to my lips, betraying what he wanted though he had yet to speak the words. "I want… I want to meet the criteria on your list," he said. Ah, he was referring back to the kissing requirements I had jokingly shared with him the first time he tried to kiss me.

"Well, let's see, shall we?" I slid closer still, holding up my fingers to count. "Number one, is that I don't kiss anyone I haven't gone on a date with. We seem to be on a very nice date at the moment, so that's all settled." I smiled at the hope in his eyes. "I also don't kiss guys in the construction industry" I continued. "You didn't get a job working for Emmett, did you?" I teased, and he shook his head.

"Well then, the last one was that I don't kiss anyone with pending city violations," I said, moving towards him a bit more. "I seem to recall writing a letter clearing your violation… is that right? Did you receive one?" I tapped my lips with my raised fingers, and his eyes followed the movement.

He continued to stare at me until I felt like I would burst into flames under his gaze. "Jesus, Bella, please tell me I can kiss you," he breathed.

I nodded, and his mouth met mine with a sense of urgency, as though something terrible would happen if we were apart for even a second longer. I gasped at the electricity igniting between us. Long anticipation combined with the thrill of a first kiss sent desire flying through me as our lips moved against each other.

Despite the passion swirling, the kiss was unexpectedly gentle and sweet as he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I finally gave in to the urge to run my hand through his hair, just as soft as I'd imagined. Our tongues touched tentatively at first, then stroked deeper as the kiss intensified, and finally waned as Edward pulled away with a soft moan.

I moved back slightly, my wide grin reflecting the way my heart was racing with joy. Edward relaxed his hold but brushed his hands up and down my back as though reassuring himself that I was really there. "Well… damn…" he rasped, and I was sure my face mirrored his satisfied and yet shell-shocked expression.

"Um… yeah…" was all I managed to reply. Since all conversation had stalled in the wake of the most incredible kiss of my life, Edward pulled me to sit in his lap, and I snuggled close as we watched the seagulls fly back and forth over the water.

Content in Edward's arms, I lost track of time. When he cleared his throat, I turned my head to look at him. "I think I'm ready for my question now," he said.

"Okay, go for it."

"Now, remember, you can veto if this is too personal..."

I nodded, ignoring the slight flutter of nerves. "I remember."

He sighed, and tightened his arms around me. "Bella..." he said in a serious voice, "...what color underwear are you wearing?"

I burst out laughing. "What?"

He grinned. "You heard me."

"Um, yeah... not telling you that. Veto," I said, still giggling.

"Aw, that's too bad." He feigned disappointment. "Okay, then here's my second question." He paused in thought and looked into my eyes, and this time I knew there would be no veto from me. "What's something you've always wanted to do that you haven't gotten to yet?" he asked.

I smiled, relieved that I could answer this question. Still, I took a moment to think. "I'd love to do more travelling, if I had the time and money. I've always wanted to go to Australia, actually."

"Really? Why Australia?" Edward asked, gently stroking my arms.

"Sydney has some amazing architecture, and the outback is so unique, I just find it fascinating," I explained. "Really, there are so many cities I'd love to visit to see the buildings. I did get to Europe in college, and that was incredible, but I'm interested in modern architecture, too. Japan, Russia…" I counted off the destinations on my fingers, knowing that it would be a miracle if I could ever visit them all in my lifetime.

Edward had a strange, secret smile. "I admire your passion. I love to travel too, but I tend to go places that are less… full of architecture," he admitted. "I love Thailand, for example, and the Amazon. It's fun to just explore and know that you may be the first person to see a particular waterfall or beach in years, perhaps."

I made a sound of agreement, briefly picturing the two of us exploring a hidden cove together. The idea had definite appeal. "So, what about you? What have you always wanted to do?"

"Me? Hmmm... I've always wanted to…" he mused, then paused.

"What, you really can't think of anything?" I asked, surprised.

He shook his head. "It feels strange to say, but I really don't know. I've been really fortunate my whole life, I've always had money to buy whatever I wanted or go where I wanted."

I chuckled. "Must be nice, but money doesn't buy everything, Edward."

"I'm beginning to realize that, Bella," he said, looking at me intensely before leaning in for another kiss.

Several minutes later, we broke apart, both breathing heavily. "I believe we still have some dessert that needs our attention, if you want?" Edward suggested.

I agreed and moved back to my own spot on the blanket. Although kissing Edward was well on its way to becoming my new favorite hobby, I wanted to get to know him further as well, which meant that using our lips for talking was equally important.

We cut into the chocolate cake and started feeding each other bites. Before it became another make-out session, I decided to ask a question that had been nagging at my brain. "Edward, what do you want to do? Do you know? Or are you happy just as you are now?"

He laughed wryly. "You're not shy at all, are you?" I started to apologize, but he didn't seem upset. "I don't know, really. I've been happy so far, but I'm starting to realize there are things I might want out of life that are… more, you know? This thing with Victoria especially. I was – and I still am – so angry with her for lying, but it really hit me how alone I am, and… I realized that if I want that to change, than _I_ have to change." I rubbed his arm sympathetically and he smiled, watching my fingers on his skin.

"Do you have any ideas? You seem to like being a lawyer, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do. I've been toying with the idea of going to work for Legal Aid, actually," he said hesitantly. "I certainly don't need the money, and I like the thought of helping people that really need a lawyer and can't afford one. I've thought about being a public defender before, to help people, but it's also because I like to argue." He laughed again. "You learned that first hand, unfortunately."

I couldn't disagree with that. "So if you worked for Legal Aid, would you… do you think you'd be suing the City a lot?" I fished.

"Good question. I take it… that would be a problem, if I want to ask you on a second date?" he joked, but his eyes were studying my reaction closely.

"It would probably make things easier if you focused on another area besides property law," I admitted. "But you should do what you're passionate about, not base it on… whatever this is." I motioned between us, then blushed at my presumptuousness. "Or… you know… has the potential to be, or…" I backpedaled as I put my hand over my crimson cheek.

"Hey." He grabbed my hand, exposing my burning face. "This _is_ something, or at least it has the potential to be. And it's important to me."

I smiled and nodded in spite of my lingering mortification. "Me too."

"So… do you want to hang out at the park for a while? Maybe go for a walk?"

"That sounds great," I said, relieved that we were changing the subject. We packed up the picnic supplies, and Edward stood, offering me his hand with a grin. I took it happily, rising to my feet,, and didn't let go as we gathered the picnic gear with our free hands and stopped at the car to drop it off.

We spent the afternoon wandering the many acres of parkland and enjoying the beautiful day, first picking across the rocky beach to admire the historic lighthouse, and then exploring a wooded trail, stopping at secluded benches to cuddle and kiss. Our conversation flowed easily sometimes and lulled at others, but the silence was never uncomfortable, and Edward hardly ever let go of my hand.

Neither of us seemed ready to leave, but as we stood on a wooded bridge overlooking a small waterfall, I was surprised to discover that the light was fading with the approaching evening. Edward realized the hour at the same time I did, and reluctantly suggested we return to the car.

"So I know I've taken a lot of your time today…" he said hesitantly. "But do you want to go somewhere and grab some dinner?"

I grinned, relieved that he seemed as unwilling to part as I was. "Sure, I'd love to."

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><p><strong>Awww - they're so cute! What did you think of the date? Push the 'review' button and let me know. Or find me on twitter - mamabean30.<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ugh, what a week. I know I missed some review replies this time, and for that I sincerely apologize. I can't even blame FFN for failing, it was my own computer problems and busy life. PSA – don't let your toddler randomly bang on computer keys, they can actually change some pretty important settings, and it's really hard to figure out what they did! It's weeks like this I'm glad the story is already written, because there's no way I would have gotten an update done. Thanks for being patient with me!**

**In spite of my fail this week, my pre-readers BookishQua and Twilover76 and my beta Detochkina were all rock stars as usual. Thank you, ladies, you're beyond amazing! They're all wonderful authors, if you're looking for something to read.**

**Characters belong to SM. Darn.**

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><p><em>Edward<em>

_._

I woke Sunday morning stretched out in my comfortable new bed, though sadly not with Bella in my arms. It was too early for that, I knew, but it didn't stop me from wishing it could happen.

After we left the park we'd eaten a casual dinner, and I dropped her off at her door with a searing goodnight kiss that left both of us wanting more. Well, I wanted more at least. Judging by the way her eyes glazed over and she tripped over the air when she turned to go into her apartment, I imagined she wanted more too. And I was definitely willing to give it to her.

Parting reluctantly with my blanket cocoon, I hit the shower and went downstairs to nuke some breakfast. Jasper was already at the table eating a bowl of rubbery scrambled eggs fresh from the microwave. He looked up with a grin when I entered the room.

"Bella's not here, is she?" he asked, dramatically craning his neck to see behind me.

I slammed the freezer door a little harder than I needed to, and threw the breakfast bowl in the microwave to warm up. "No, dude, it was our first date. Anyway, weren't you the one giving me the big brother shit the other day?"

"Right on, man." He saluted me with his fork. "Alice isn't here, in case you were wondering. She stayed at her place last night so she and Bella could gossip about us."

I smiled, wondering what Bella would have said about me, but was pulled from my thoughts when a shrill beep announced that my food was ready.

"So…" Jasper said around a bite of eggs. "How did it go?"

"Great. Really great." I grinned as I poured my coffee. "I'm going to call her today. Is that too soon? Fuck it, I don't care. I've got to ask her out again."

My roommate smiled. "Then call her today. I'm happy for you, Edward. My little boy is all grown up," he whined, swiping at his eyes to get rid of fake tears.

I rolled my eyes. "Shut the fuck up, bro. You still go down in the record books as the fastest guy to be pussy-whipped, ever. In the history of the world, even."

He shrugged. "What can I say? When it's right, it's right." He threw away his empty plastic bowl and fork and looked at the clock. "Damn, I've got to get going. I'm working today so I can have tomorrow off, you know. Just for you, man." He thumped his chest and pointed at me. "I can't wait to take that bitch Victoria down."

"Thanks, Jazz. See you later," I called after him as he headed for the door.

After breakfast, alone in the house, I wondered what to do with the empty day that loomed before me. I played some video games and messed around on the computer, but when I thought about calling Bella I was reminded of our conversation about what I wanted to do with my life.

Pulling up a search engine, I looked through the website for Legal Aid, but it seemed like a lot of what they did was help renters and property owners. While it was a worthy cause, I didn't want to get involved if it could make things difficult for Bella. Looking further, I found a nonprofit that dealt with immigration and family law, and got excited picturing working to reunite family members. I'd still get to sue the government, but it would be federal cases far removed from the city offices. I sent the director an e-mail explaining that I was looking for volunteer work and closed my laptop with a satisfied sigh.

Almost on cue, my phone beeped with a text from Emmett.

_Baseball at the park in 30. u in?_

I texted that I was on my way, stopping in my room to change and to grab my glove. A pickup baseball game would be the perfect distraction for my nerves over what was planned for tomorrow, and I needed all the help I could get.

~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~~

Monday morning, Jasper and I dressed in jeans and some newly purchased work boots and headed for Emmett's construction site. He'd instructed us to walk confidently to the trailer at precisely 10:05 A.M. and wait for him there. He'd even made up the code word 'donut' to text us if the coast wasn't clear. We proceeded as planned, however, and we were putting on vests and hard hats when Emmett came in the door.

"Hey. Did anyone see you?" he asked nervously.

I scoffed. "I'm sure they did, Emmett, but you've got tons of guys working here. Who would notice two more?"

He shifted his eyes from side to side. "You never know." He sighed, then pouted a little. "I really wanted to use my code word."

"There'll be other chances, Emmett," Jasper reassured him. "Now, where's this asshole James?"

"He's working on a wall on the south end of the building. I set up some pipes nearby, so you guys can take them apart like you know what you're doing," Emmett said.

"Awesome," I said, grateful that I had friends who not only came up with this hare-brained scheme but were willing to help execute it. "Everyone clear?" We'd rehearsed our act a few times, but I wanted to make sure we were straight on who said what.

Jasper and Emmett nodded, and we shared a three-way fist bump before leaving the trailer. Emmett led us to where James was working and started speaking loudly as we neared a tangle of pipes. "So, this is what the inspector said needed to be totally redone, something about the joints not being soldered correctly?" Or not soldered at all, from the look of things.

I shook my head like I knew what I was doing. "Jeez, Emmett, I'm sorry - this is a real mess. I wanted to be here myself to do this part; it's tricky. But I had to go to court last week to testify for my buddy, remember?" James' dirty blond ponytail was just a few feet away, and I was sure he could hear us.

"Oh, yeah, what was that about again?" Emmett asked casually. "Didn't his girl screw him over or something?"

I nodded, encouraged when James tilted his head toward us and slowed his work. "Yeah, it was such bullshit. Basically, his girlfriend scammed some elderly couple out of a bunch of money by claiming she was pregnant with their long-lost grandchild. Then when she got caught, she blamed it all on him."

"That's ridiculous, man," Jasper piped in. "And he couldn't do anything about it?"

James had stopped working entirely, and was quite obviously listening in on our conversation. Which was exactly what we wanted. "No, it was her word against his." I shook my head. "She cried to the police and told them he made her do it, so now he's under arrest and his life is totally ruined. Manipulative bitch," I spat, the venom in my words intended for Victoria.

"Wow, so what did you do in court?" Emmett asked.

"I had to be a character witness for him, to say that he wasn't into shit like that, you know? But he couldn't afford a fancy lawyer, so his public defender thinks he's probably going to get stuck with something. Probably even going to go to jail," I said sadly, in James' direction.

Jasper grunted in disgust. "That's bullshit. Fucking bitches, but what are you going to do? They can turn on the waterworks and shit, and people feel sorry for them." I briefly mused what Alice would do if she heard him, but I held in my laughter knowing that Jasper was just playing his part.

Emmett snorted. "Poor fucking idiot. He should have tape-recorded her ass confessing to that shit, that's what he should have done."

James was playing perfectly into our trap, leaning further over the brick wall he was working on, and looking deep in thought.

I laughed. "That's actually a fucking brilliant idea, Em. If he would have had her on tape running her mouth about what she was planning, he could have avoided the whole mess." I shrugged. "Too late for him, though."

Jasper moved towards the pipes and started disassembling the silly maze Emmett had erected. "Yeah, thanks, Em. I'll remember that if my girl ever gets any brilliant fucking ideas to rip somebody off." He chuckled and we all joined in.

Emmett patted me on the back as I went to help Jasper. "Anytime, guys. Good luck with this mess." He moved on to where James was leaning motionless beside the half-built brick wall, looking slightly dazed. "What's going on, James? Is there a problem?"

James started and reached for his tools, only to put them down again. "Well, I… I'm sorry, I heard what you guys were talking about just now. Do you think that could really happen? Is your buddy really going to jail?"

It took a lot of effort, but I managed to keep a despondent look on my face. "Looks that way right now. His whole life is fucked, just because he trusted a stupid broad."

His face paled. "Well, see… my girl, she's up to something, and I'm not really sure if it's legal or not, but…"

Emmett looked astonished, playing his role perfectly. "Really? You've got to get her ass on tape, then. Look out for number one, James. That's you." He poked the smaller man in the chest for emphasis, and James stumbled back a step before nodding thoughtfully.

"Hey, you know what?" Emmett continued. "I've got that mini recorder I use to tape the construction meetings. I need it this week, so I can't let you take it home, but if you could get her to meet you here in the construction trailer..."

James perked up. "Really? I could probably ask her to bring me lunch today," he said. "Do you think the trailer would be empty then?"

"Yeah, it's nice out, so I can get everyone to eat outside," Emmett replied, ever the problem solver.

"Wow, that would be great. Thanks, Emmett." James had such hopefulness in his voice that I almost felt sorry for him. But not quite.

Emmett waved dismissively. "I can't have my bricklayer going to jail, can I? It would throw the whole schedule off. Let me know what time she's coming, and I'll make sure the trailer is free. I'll turn the mini recorder on and put it under a hard hat on the drafting table – that way she won't be able to see it." He patted James comfortingly on the shoulder. "Now, you just have to think of how to bring up the subject to get her to confess."

The idiot still looked worried, but he smiled and nodded. "I can do that, I think," he agreed. "Thanks, Em."

"Anytime, bro," Emmett said with a grin. He deserved an Oscar for this performance. I had no idea that my buddy was such a fantastic actor.

Jasper and I continued messing around with the pipes as James pulled out his cell phone to call his evil girlfriend. We slowly disassembled the mess, sorting the pieces and putting them in a box to return to the real plumber. Emmett had bribed him with a free lunch to let us borrow the parts.

Of course, our main objective was to listen in on James' conversation, and I offered Jasper a subtle fist-bump when it appeared Victoria agreed to meet her boyfriend here for lunch at noon. Our plan was going perfectly, and James immediately ran to tell Emmett his good news.

Looking at my watch, I saw we had under an hour to kill until Phase Two of our plan. I nudged Jasper and showed him the time as James returned with a smug smile on his face, and we slowed our work speed so that we'd be done at the right time. We needed to take our places before Victoria arrived and saw us, which would ruin the whole plan.

Precisely at 11:25 A.M., we packed up our boxes of pipes and wished James good luck before returning the parts to the back of the plumber's van. We walked quickly but purposefully to the blue cargo van we'd rented and parked on the street nearest the construction trailer, and clambered in the back before anyone could notice.

Jasper laughed as he stretched out his legs on the rough gray carpet. "That was fun, man. He bought it hook, line and sinker."

I was still nervous for Phase Two, but I had to smile at how well things were going so far. "Seems that way. Now, let's get this stuff set up for the test."

Phase Two of our plan consisted of a wireless transmitting microphone we'd purchased at a spy store and planted in the trailer the night before. We had really wanted one that was disguised as a pen or a salt shaker, because that was just cool, but apparently that technology was special order or something so we had to settle for a small square that was made to stick to the underside of the table. It was expensive, but by that point we'd spent an hour and a half goofing around in the store so I figured the fun we'd had was worth it.

Jasper turned to the recording equipment and booted up his laptop, adjusting some settings before setting it down. "Okay, I think we're ready," he said.

I checked the time – 11:45 A.M. Perfect. Right on cue, Emmett's voice came through the computer's tiny speaker. "Check, check… 1 – 2 – 3… can you hear me? Jasper Whitlock is a pretty pretty princess, and Edward smells like pancake syrup… "

_Loud and clear_ - I texted Emmett, and we heard a beep as the text went through.

"All right, I'm coming out…" he said.

_Don't forget to set the tape recorder _– I texted again.

"Shit, that's right. Hold on…" We heard some fumbling around, and then the noise stopped. "Okay, it's all set. You can still hear me, right? No interference?"

_Yes. Get your ass out here._

"All right, here I come. I'm going to go give James the thumbs up, and then I'll use the secret knock."

We heard the door shut, and a minute later there were three quick knocks on the side door of the van. I quickly opened it and Emmett heaved himself inside. "You didn't wait for me to do the rest of my knock." He pouted. "How did you know it was me?"

"Wild guess," I said dryly.

The three of us got situated, Jasper remaining in charge of the computer, and then there was nothing to do but wait.

Emmett started fidgeting almost immediately. "We should have brought some pillows or something. My ass is going to be asleep in no time."

I reached up and grabbed the cooler from the passenger seat, careful to stay out of the sightline of the windows. "Here, let's have some lunch," I said, dividing up sandwiches and chips.

We ate and joked around stiffly as we waited, and I checked my watch every sixty seconds or so. Finally, just after noon, we all jumped as Jasper's laptop blared the slight creaking sound of the trailer door opening.

"Okay, baby, here's your Big Mac combo meal… and I'm snitching a few fries." Victoria giggled, and even hearing her voice through the tiny computer speakers made me bristle with rage.

"Thanks, honey," James said. "No wait! You… uh, you sit over here, next to the drafting table. The uh… the air conditioner is blowing here, and I don't want you to catch a cold." He sounded awkward, in desperate need of a pinch of Emmett's acting talent, but I still hoped that he could pull it off.

"So, what was so important that I had to drag my ass down here?" she asked.

James chuckled nervously. "Nothing, sweetheart. Like I said on the phone, I just missed you is all."

Victoria was silent for a moment. "Oooookay," she said, and I could almost hear her eyes rolling through the computer. "You know how much I hate putting on this get-up, though."

"I know," he answered. We heard wrappers rustling and the quiet sounds of biting and chewing, before James got the courage to speak up again. "I actually… that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is?"

"Well… this plan of yours. You know, to scam Carlisle's son out of his money," James said, like it was perfectly natural lunch conversation.

"What?" she screeched. "First of all, it's not _his_ money. If that damn idiot Carlisle hadn't croaked at the most inconvenient fucking time, we would have gotten married. Then, when I slipped him some poison, it would have been _my_ money. Ugh!" She made a frustrated sound. "Stupid guy couldn't wait a few months to die."

My jaw dropped. Was she really confessing that she'd planned to kill my father? I'd never gotten along with her, but I never suspected she was capable of murder. "Holy fuck," I whispered, and Emmett and Jasper looked at me with stunned sympathy.

Victoria was still talking, however, and I forced my brain to focus back on what she was saying.

"…you _know_ that, James, I've told you over and over again," she complained.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, honey," he said soothingly.

"It just upsets me. After all the thought and work I put into the plan, and then he had to go and die right in the middle of it… this fake baby thing is just a poor substitute, really. It's frustrating, but unless I want to start all over…"

James cleared his throat. "Tell me the plan again? I still… I don't understand how this is going to get you the money."

Victoria let out a disgusted sigh. "Honestly, James. This is why I'm the brains of our little duo, since you just can't seem to figure anything out. Step one – I told Edward Cullen that I'm pregnant with his father's baby. Step two – I sue him for half of the estate, on the baby's behalf. Step three – I get the money, then claim that I lost the baby. He won't be able to get the money back without a big court battle, and he'd have to convince a judge to take it away from me, the grieving fiancé who has just lost her unborn child? Possession is nine-tenths of the law, so once I have the money, it's mine for good."

I breathed a sigh of relief that we had the confession, although I found I was gripping the door of the van tightly to keep myself from running in there and ripping her head off. Jasper was focusing on the audio controls, but Emmett was eyeing me warily. "You okay, buddy?" he asked softly, and I nodded once with my jaw clenched tight.

"But isn't this illegal, what you're doing? I mean, you're wearing a fake belly, and lying, and making fake ultrasound pictures…" James trailed off, and we heard a chair scrape against the floor.

"Darling," Victoria said, her voice smooth as silk, "All I'm doing is getting the money that should have been mine to begin with. Don't worry about any of that. I'm doing this for us, so you can start your bloodhound breeding business like you always wanted. You just don't think about it, and before you know it, this will all be over."

"Okay, Victoria," he said glumly. "If that's what you think is best."

She laughed. "We're better off if I do the thinking, and that's what I think." The chair creaked again, like she sat back down. "He'd better cave soon, though. These damn fake bellies are so uncomfortable. I don't think I ever want to be pregnant with a _real_ baby!" She giggled again, and I wanted to throw up the sandwich I'd just eaten.

James was clearly anxious to change the subject and asked a question about his bowling league tournament the following weekend. I just sat there stunned. Victoria was not only an extortionist, it seemed she would have been a murderer.

"E… man, I…" Emmett seemed as lost for words as I was. "I'm sorry."

Closing my eyes, I focused on breathing for a few moments. "Thanks, Emmett. We've got the tape, at least. Right?"

Jasper took his ear away from a pair of headphones and nodded emphatically. "Yes, I'm continuing to record just in case they say something else, but I just started listening to the playback from the beginning and it sounds like we've got it all."

"Well, shit," I cursed, wavering between relief, confusion, and shock. "What the fuck do we do now?"

After a few moments of staring blankly and listening to James and Victoria chatting about who was the weak link on his bowling team, I realized that we couldn't make any decisions yet. As soon as the psychotic lovebirds in the construction trailer finished their lunch and Victoria left, we emerged from the van and stretched our sore muscles.

"I guess I'll go check in with James, make sure he got the tape," Emmett said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Em… seriously. Thank you. I couldn't have done this without Rose's plan, and your excellent orchestration to pull it all off." I was overcome with gratitude for my friends, and immediately started brainstorming something nice I could do for Emmett and Rose.

Emmett pulled me into a quick, manly hug, complete with back-slapping. "Anytime, E, I mean it," he said as he released me and walked away.

Jasper and I walked quietly to the front of the van and got in, me in the driver's seat. We drove back to the house in silence. Once we'd reached the safety of the kitchen, Jasper unloaded his equipment and began to play back the recording to be sure we had it all.

I tried to stay and listen, but when Victoria's voice came over the speakers it was too much. "I'm sorry, Jazz. I just can't… can you…"

"Go, I've got this," he said, plugging in his headphones and waving me towards the other room. I collapsed into the nearest chair, reclined, and closed my eyes, trying to process the last hour in my head. Try as I might, I couldn't forget Victoria's voice echoing snidely as she complained that she hadn't been able to kill my father like she planned. I rubbed my temples and breathed deeply until my mind finally went blank, but was brought back to reality when Jasper came in the room and cleared his throat.

"So, it's all there. Now you… we… just have to decide what to do with it," he said awkwardly.

I sighed in response.

"Look, it's been a tough day. Want to blow some shit up?" he asked, holding up a video game controller.

"That sounds perfect," I said, holding my hands up to catch his toss.

We blasted zombies for hours, not speaking besides the occasional warning of an impending undead attack, and I started to feel more normal again. When the doorbell rang, I was shocked to discover it was almost evening.

Jasper went to answer, and soon a beautiful voice filtered into the room. "I hope this is okay…" I overheard Bella say.

My roommate snorted. "Are you kidding? He'll be thrilled!"

I threw down the controller and went into the kitchen to investigate. Bella was there, holding a wrapped pan of food that looked heavy and smelled delicious. "Hi, Edward," she said shyly as she put the pan down on the stove. "We um… we brought you dinner."

Alice followed and set down another bag of food, but I hardly noticed her. I strode into the kitchen and engulfed my girl in my arms. She returned my embrace enthusiastically, stroking my hair with one hand as she held me close. I buried my nose in her messy ponytail and discovered that Bella's scent calmed me even faster than killing fake zombies.

Thankfully, she let me hold her as long as I needed to, but when my arms finally loosened I didn't let her go completely. Still engulfed in my arms, she turned to face Alice and Jasper, who were smiling at us in wonder.

I settled my arms around her waist and snuggled her back against my chest, discovering that this was the perfect position to lean down and press a soft kiss to her neck. She blushed but didn't pull away, and I whispered in her ear. "Screw them. After all the PDA you and I put up with? We owe them some payback, baby."

She giggled and obligingly offered her lips for a kiss, but wouldn't let me make it too explicit. She gave my arms one last caress before slipping away to the oven to mess around with the food. I leaned back on the counter in satisfaction, loving that she'd come here now when I so needed support.

Jasper broke into my reverie. "Emmett's been texting me – should I tell him to grab Rose and come over?"

I scrubbed my hand across my face. "Yeah, sure. Is that okay, Bella?"

She looked at me in surprise. "Of course it's fine with me. It's all about what you need tonight... baby," she said, flushing a bit at the pet name. I loved it.

"Oh yeah?" I asked, stalking over to where she was tossing a salad. "I'll remember that." I stole another kiss, managing to prolong this one a little more.

Alice took it upon herself to set up a buffet on the countertop, with Bella's lasagna at center stage. Jasper picked out a bottle of wine and got out our nicest disposable plastic cups. Since we didn't really have a dining table, we decided to eat in the living room where there were several mismatched couches from our old apartment.

Emmett barged in the door much quieter than usual, with Rose by his side. "How's it going, guys?" he asked politely. "Bella, Alice, so lovely to see you again. My, this smells wonderful."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Emmett," I said, laughing. "Please don't be weird about this. I'm fine."

He looked at me curiously. "Really? I mean, I'm glad, but that was some serious shit that went down today."

Alice jumped in. "What happened? Jazz texted me that it was bad, but Bella and I don't really know."

Bella started dishing out pieces of lasagna. "Let's all get fed first, and then we'll hear the whole story. Sound good?"

I wrapped my arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head as Emmett lead the way to the food. Once everyone had a heaping plateful and we were settled as couples on the couches, I knew I was up.

"I guess… first I want to say thanks to all of you guys for your support. It really means a lot," I said, feeling foolish like I was making a speech or something. "Today, we planned to record Victoria confessing that she was trying to extort money from me with a fake pregnancy."

Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie nodded, and Bella and Alice looked surprised but motioned for me to keep going.

"Anyway, it turned out that she planned to… she…" I rubbed my forehead, debating how to continue, and I felt Bella's small hand sneak into my other one. I squeezed her fingers and sighed. "Victoria was going to kill my dad after they got married, to get his money. And we have her saying this on tape."

The girls gasped in shock. "Oh my God, Edward," Bella breathed, rubbing my hand with hers.

I took a deep breath and continued. "It's completely fucked up, and I feel a little better now that we have everything on tape. But it's still messing with my head, you know? If she had just confessed to the fake pregnancy like I planned, I was going to confront her with it and get her off my back, but nothing more. Now…" I squeezed Bella's hand again for support. "Really, I just wanted her out of my life for good, as quickly as possible. But now that I know this, I feel like I have to do something with it. If I let her go, and she does this to someone else? I'd just lose it."

Ever the practical one, Rose cleared her throat. "So what are our options?"

I shook my head. "I've been thinking about it, and I just don't know. I could give the tape to the police, but they'd ask questions about how we made it, and it might not even be admissible as evidence in a criminal trial."

"Do you think James would testify?" Jasper asked Emmett.

"I'd like to think so, but I just don't know him very well. He's willing to keep quiet about his girlfriend's murder plot, so he's obviously got some questionable morals." Emmett shrugged. "He seemed pretty freaked out about the jail time, though. Maybe if we could tip off the police somehow, he'd give up his copy of the tape?"

I nodded. "That's a good idea, actually. It might be more valid coming from him." I thought for a moment. "I wish I knew someone in the police department, an investigator or something. If we could talk to someone and tip them off, maybe they could bring James in and he'd give up Victoria's plan."

"I could maybe help with that," Bella suggested softly. "My dad is the chief of police in our little town, but he goes to conferences and stuff with police from all over the state. I could see if he knows anyone in Seattle that he trusts."

I couldn't help it, I leaned over and kissed her. "Thanks, baby. That would be amazing."

Rose and Alice wore matching grins. "Okay, I know we're here to destroy that evil bitch, but can I just interrupt the ugly for a minute? I'm so happy for you!" Rose gushed, and Bella jumped up to give her a hug. "So are you like, together, together?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.

Bella and I looked at each other, the answer shining brightly in both our eyes. "Yes?" I answered tentatively.

"Yes," she echoed with a smile.

I pulled her to snuggle next to me on the couch as our friends exclaimed happily around us, and in spite of the absolutely shitty day I'd had, nothing had ever felt so right.

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><p><strong>I know this might be a question - James does not know what Edward looks like. Victoria has intentionally kept her boyfriend away from the Cullen men for obvious reasons.<strong>

**Thanks for reading!** **What did you think of Victoria's confession? I'd love to hear from you, in a review or on twitter - mamabean30.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Thank you everyone for reading, and for all the reviews! I truly appreciate your support. Hope everyone's holiday season is going well so far.**

**Thanks a million as usual to my pre-readers BookishQua and Twilover76; and special hugs to my beta Detochkina for patiently correcting my mistakes. They're all completely wonderful people and very talented authors, so go check out their work!**

**I was hoping SM might give me the characters as a Christmas present, but no luck as of yet.**

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><p><em>Bella<em>

_._

Edward and I washed the dishes together, joking and talking with our friends who sat on the barstools at the kitchen counter to keep us company. Despite his terrible news, the group felt lighthearted and fun, like we all belonged hanging out together or something. We finished the bottle of wine and opened another, conversation flowing effortlessly about our respective careers, favorite movies, and fun places in the city.

Emmett and Rose left when evening faded into night, and Alice and I had a silent conversation while the guys finished putting the dishes away.

_I'm going to take Jasper to his room, so you guys can have some private time,_ Alice communicated with her eyes and a flick of her head towards the stairs.

I rolled my eyes. _Oh yeah, and you have no ulterior motives for that?_

Alice crossed her arms and stared at me. _Admit it, you want time alone with him._

_Fine, I do._ I smiled wryly. _Are you spending the night?_

She raised her eyebrows hopefully. _Is that okay? We did drive separately…_

I winked at her to show her I was just fine with it, and turned around to find Edward staring at us.

"Come on, Jazz." Alice grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stairs. "Weren't you going to show me something in your room?"

Edward burst out laughing. "Really, Jasper? What are you going to show her?

Jasper waved his middle finger behind him as he let Alice lead him out of the room. "Goodnight, E."

We both chuckled, but as the laughter faded I realized we were alone for the first time that evening. "So, um… can you hang out for a little bit?" Edward asked, shuffling his feet. "Watch a movie, or something? I mean, I understand if you have to go. Not that I want you to leave…"

I reached out for his hand. "I'd love to stay for a while, Edward. What do you want to do? Watch a movie? Do you need to talk some more? I told you this night was all about you," I reminded him.

His green eyes turned a shade darker, whether in lust or in anger at Victoria, I wasn't sure. "I've had enough talking, I think."

I gulped, feeling sudden nervous waves in my stomach. "Then, what do you want to do?" I asked quietly, feeling his answer in the electricity building between us.

"I want to kiss my girlfriend, if that's okay," he murmured, moving closer.

"Like you have to ask," I exhaled, and his lips were on mine again. Gone was the inhibition brought on by our earlier audience, and the desire spiked between us. I would have gasped if I could stop kissing him long enough to spare the breath. He pressed me against the counter as his lips crushed against mine with all the emotion of the day. I stood on my tiptoes but I wasn't quite tall enough to kiss on his level, so I tried and failed to lift myself onto the counter using the hand that wasn't caressing his neck.

He laughed against my mouth and boosted me up without breaking the kiss, and in a split second my legs were wrapped around his waist. I groaned as our bodies aligned and strained towards the place they longed to connect, and I squeezed my legs to draw us closer together.

Edward's hands roamed to my ass, holding me against him. His lips left mine to kiss open-mouthed down my neck, and I moaned as he moved the strap of my tank top aside to worship my collar bone.

"Oh, God, Bella," he groaned, thrusting shallowly when I ground my hips against his.

I unbuttoned his shirt while he plied my neck with kisses, running my hands over the muscles just under his thin t-shirt. He exhaled sharply and returned to my mouth, kissing and nibbling and licking while one hand snuck under my top.

Really, what I wanted was to lose our clothes entirely, but the rational part of my brain reminded me that Jasper and Alice were still in the house.

"Edward," I panted, tearing my lips away from his to bite his earlobe gently. "Um… bedroom?"

"Like you even fucking have to ask," he shot back, lifting me of the counter and grabbing my hand.

He lead me upstairs to the door I'd declined to enter the night of the party, and suddenly I recalled something he'd mentioned offhand that night. Shit, did he really not have a bed? We could continue this on the couch, but it would definitely be cramped.

My fears were abated as he opened the door to reveal a plush king-sized bed, hastily made, with slate-gray sheets and a dark comforter. I laughed in relief, and Edward looked at me strangely. "What?"

I had to know the truth. "Were you just kidding me about sleeping on a couch?"

He shifted and turned a little red. "Oh yeah, I forgot I told you about that. Um… no, I slept on this couch," he motioned to a wide black leather sofa pushed tightly against the wall.

It looked like a comfortable enough couch, but I was confused. "Why would you sleep on that couch when you have this nice big bed?"

He sighed. "I didn't. I just bought it like a week ago," he admitted sheepishly.

"A week ago?" Suddenly it hit me – he'd bought the bed right before our date? I wasn't sure whether to be offended or flattered. "You thought I'd sleep with you on the first date?" I teased, then realized that technically this was only our second date. Sort of. Did that make me a slut if I slept with him now?

"No, I didn't… and I don't… I don't have any expectations for tonight, Bella. Whatever you're comfortable with is fine with me. I just wanted to be prepared in case we ever got to this point, I guess." He ran his hand through his hair.

I rubbed my hands up and down my arms, trying to get rid of the residual hormones, so I could figure out what to do. My lust-filled body voted for whatever got Edward's cock inside of it as soon as possible, but my mind reminded me that I hadn't even seen the cock in question yet. In my admittedly short dating life, I'd always rounded the bases gradually before going for the home run, maybe even throwing in some oral to prolong the final step. But with Edward, the whole game seemed pointless. I wanted to be with him, and he wanted to be with me, and in my heart that was all that mattered.

Edward was watching me think, the lingering lust on his face mixing oddly with concern. He seemed to sense that he shouldn't interrupt as I surveyed the bed during my musings, but when my eyes returned to meet his, he spoke up. "Are you okay? You're not mad at me, are you?"

I smiled, touched by his thoughtfulness. "No, Edward, of course I'm not mad." I walked to him and wrapped my arms around him, enjoying the feeling of him hard against my stomach. I pulled back slightly, rubbing him through his jeans. "I can think of something else I'm feeling, though," I said, my lips finding his neck to flutter soft kisses.

"Oh… oh, Bella," he gasped. I took the lead, unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off, kissing him deeply once more.

We took turns removing articles of clothing in between passionate kisses and increasingly heated caresses, until we fell onto the bed in our underwear. It didn't take long for that to disappear as well, and Edward asked me once more if I was sure before rolling on a condom and pushing into me with a deep satisfied sigh.

He moved purposefully inside of me as we both breathed deeply, eyes locked with the strength of our connection. The friction he created was spiraling me upward, along with the spot he hit deep within me at the end of each powerful thrust. It was both forever and no time at all before I shattered and pulsed around him. He followed soon after, calling my name with quiet intensity as I felt his release.

He propped himself on one elbow above me and stroked the hair away from my face, gazing into my eyes with such strong emotion that I felt tears forming. He looked frightened and started to move off of me as a drop escaped the corner of my eye, but I stilled him with one hand and stroked his face so that he looked at me. "That was perfect, Edward," I whispered, and he moved to the side and gathered me in his arms.

"Can you stay?" he asked softly, as if not to break the spell we were under.

"I'd have to leave pretty early… but yes. If you want me to, that is?" I wanted to make sure.

Edward chuckled. "Of course I do, Bella."

I smiled and kissed him, and we took turns in the bathroom to get ready for sleep. I grinned widely at my flushed and disheveled reflection, completely happy at the unexpected turn the night had taken. I put on the t-shirt Edward loaned me before heading back to the bed and snuggling once more into his side.

"Bella?" he said, stroking his hand down my back.

"Yes?"

"I don't want this to come out wrong. But thank you, so much, for tonight. And not for… this." He waved his hand across the bed, and I smiled. "For bringing dinner, and being with me, and…" His voice cracked, and I raised my head to look at him. "This is bizarre to say, after today. But things haven't felt so right in my life in a long time," he said, looking into my eyes.

"You're welcome, Edward. I'm glad I'm here." I laid my head on his chest as evidence. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be right now."

He kissed the top of my head and we fell asleep wrapped in the bliss of new love, where nothing seems insurmountable. Not code violations, or misunderstandings, or evil almost-stepmother extortionists – just he and I, against it all.

~~~~~~~~SiC~~~

The next day, I woke far too early to the buzz of my cell phone alarm. I had to fight hard against the temptation to call in sick and stay snuggled up in bed, but I quickly dressed and kissed Edward goodbye.

My goofy smile stuck around as I drove back to my apartment, showered and dressed. I was in the mood to cook the sweetest, happiest breakfast ever, but since I was short on time I made do with a cereal bar and some fruit before practically skipping out the door.

On the way to work, I called Charlie, hoping to catch him before he went on duty for the day.

"Bella? What's wrong, sweetie?" he answered worriedly.

"Nothing, Dad!" I rushed to reassure him. "Everything is fine. Better than fine, actually. I just needed to talk to you."

"Really?" he asked, confusion and suspicion evident in his voice. "You don't usually call me at this hour, Bells. What's so urgent?"

"I have this… friend…" I decided I should just be honest. "Actually, we've been dating."

"Dating? You called me to tell me you're dating someone?"

"Yes… I mean no, not just for that. He has a problem, and he needs to talk to an investigator with the Seattle police. I thought you might have met someone that you trusted over the years." I kept both hands on the steering wheel, because Charlie could probably tell through the phone if I moved them from ten and two, but I mentally slapped my forehead. What was I thinking? Clearly a night of great sex with Edward had made all reason depart from my brain. Calling my father to spill the news of a new boyfriend - who happened to need a police contact - was definitely not a short conversation.

"You're dating someone who has a problem with the police?" Charlie asked, obviously not enthused with my news.

"He doesn't have a problem with the police," I responded. "He needs to talk to a police investigator. There's this woman who threatened his father, and he has it on tape."

"What's this young man's name?" Charlie asked, still skeptical.

"Edward," I replied, unable to suppress a love-struck sigh.

"Edward? Wasn't that the guy's name that caused you all that trouble at work a while ago? That's a weird coincidence," he commented.

Shit. This conversation was going downhill, avalanche-style. "Um… yeah. Actually, it's the same guy," I confessed, cringing as I remembered how I'd vented to Charlie about Edward's previous jackassery.

"What?" Charlie almost never yelled, but his voice was approaching top volume. "What on earth are you thinking, Bella?" he thundered.

"Well, he apologized, and we got to know each other. Alice is dating his roommate, Jasper. They actually dated in high school and lost touch, then they ran into each other and fell back in love just like that." I attempted to divert the conversation away from me and Edward for a moment, and Alice had wrapped my dad around her finger during his visits. "Isn't that sweet?"

He grumbled something unintelligible.

"And remember how I told you that Edward went back and fixed all the cases? He felt really bad about what he did, and we just… Alice and Jasper were together all the time, so we spent time together. He's important, Dad," I pleaded for understanding, feeling exactly like I was sixteen again and trying to convince him to let me go to prom with Felix Taylor. Felix was a senior with an awesome car, which my dad had pulled over for speeding a time too many.

Charlie sighed so heavily I expected a gust of air to come out of my end of the phone. "I'll look through my contacts when I get to work, but I remember a detective named Marcus something that I've talked to several times. He seems like a decent guy, knows what he's doing. But, Bells, are you sure this is something you should get involved in?"

By this point I was sitting in my car in the parking garage at work, and couldn't wait to be done with the whole uncomfortable conversation. "Yes, Dad. I know it sounds bad at first, but trust me, okay? You know I don't date much, I'm pretty careful," I reminded him gently.

"I know, baby. And I… I want you to have somebody and all of that," he said awkwardly. "I just worry about my little girl."

"I know." I couldn't be upset with him, really. "I'm happy, Dad. He's great, just give him a chance."

"Do I get to meet this guy at least?" Charlie's voice was gruff and protective, giving me second thoughts about introducing the two of them.

"Sure, whenever you want," I chirped, crossing my fingers that Edward wouldn't mind.

"Well, I'll look at my schedule today and see when I can get away and come see you for the weekend."

"Sounds good. And you'll look up Marcus's number?" I reminded him.

Charlie chuckled wryly. "Yes, Bella, I'll get you the number for the policeman your new boyfriend needs."

"Thanks, Dad, I appreciate it. Can you text it to me later?"

"How about I just call him and give him your number. Unless you want to give me Edward's to give to him," he suggested slyly.

There was no way on earth I was giving my dad Edward's number. "No, give him mine."

"All right, kiddo. Take care."

"You too, Dad." I hung up the phone and got out of my car, hurrying into the office before I was any later.

I reached my desk and had just started looking over my assigned inspections for the day when Jacob stopped by. "Bella, would you mind coming to my office for a minute?"

My stomach jumped a little in nervousness as I got up to follow him. Could this be about me and Edward? Did someone already know I'd spent the night at his house? I entered Jacob's office and saw a stricken Seth sitting in one of the chairs. "Shut the door, please," Jacob requested.

I obeyed, sitting down in the chair next to Seth. "What's going on?"

Jacob sat forward in his chair, exploiting every bit of his height advantage over Seth. "Remember how we couldn't figure out how Mr. Cullen was able to pinpoint your inspections so quickly?"

I nodded, and he looked pointedly at Seth who cleared his throat nervously. "I gave Edward the list, Bella," he said, looking like he was close to tears. "I'm really, _really_ sorry, I didn't mean to do anything to make trouble for you. I guess he… Edward plays poker with my sister's boyfriend, so that's how he got my number. He called me and said he was doing some important work for a case, he was on a deadline and he needed all the citations in the past two weeks. It was easy to print a list, and the stuff was covered under Freedom of Information anyway… I told him he had to make an official request, but he kept saying he couldn't wait that long, and it wouldn't be a big deal…" He lowered his face to rest in his hands. "I'm just so sorry. If I had any clue what he was going to do with it, of course I never would have given it to him."

I patted Seth on the shoulder, feeling bad that he was so worked up. "Seth, really, I understand that he tricked you. I don't hold you responsible at all."

"Well, I do. We have a Freedom of Information approval procedure for precisely this reason," Jacob spoke up sternly. "But we've already talked about that, right, Seth?"

Seth nodded solemnly. "Yes, sir. I'm very clear on it now. I won't ever deviate from procedure again, I promise." He turned to me again. "But I had no idea what he was going to do, and when I found out I… I should have said something, but I was so scared I was going to get fired… I really just wanted to apologize to you, Bella. You're really nice, and you don't deserve that asshole picking on you."

I smiled, appreciating the irony that I was now the girlfriend of said asshole. "Thanks, Seth. I'm really glad you told me. If I'm being totally honest, I'm glad that this is how the information got out. I was afraid someone who didn't like me gave him my citations to be mean, so this is a much better explanation." Although after the whole Victoria thing was resolved, Edward and I would be talking about the effect his deception had on poor Seth. I shook my head both at his cunning and his continued lack of concern for others.

Jacob nodded his agreement. "All right, Seth, you're free to go."

With one last apologetic look at me, Seth left the office and shut the door behind him.

"Do you have any questions about this, Bella?" my boss asked.

"No, not about this. As funny as it sounds, I really am relieved that it was Seth," I admitted.

"Yeah, I am too. I'm just sorry it took so long. I had to go through the IT department to get the report of who accessed the computer records that night, and it took forever. I wish Seth would have come forward himself, but I don't believe he had malicious intent." Jacob looked at the paperwork in front of him as though our meeting was concluding.

I wasn't quite through yet. "I do have to talk to you about something, if that's okay."

"Oh?" Jacob smiled and arched his eyebrow. "By all means, please go ahead."

I blushed. "I just wanted to… disclose that I'm in a romantic relationship with Mr. Cullen. You said you might need to know… so…" I fidgeted in my chair, but Jacob just kept smiling at me without saying anything. "Do I need to fill out any paperwork or anything?" I blurted finally.

He shook his head, his face twisted as if he was holding back a smile. "No, no paperwork. If any follow-up complaints come in on his house, I'll assign another inspector. And I expect you to remind me if I forget, just like you would with any other conflict of interest," he said.

"Understood," I said, getting up to leave.

"Bella?" Jacob asked hesitantly.

"Yes? Was there something else?" I turned around.

"Just… this is none of my business, so you can tell me to butt out if you want. But… is this guy good to you? He has such a bad reputation around here, what with all the suing."

I laughed, touched by his concern that mirrored my father's a few minutes ago. "No, it's not your business... but yes, he's good to me. And I think he's going to turn over a new leaf with the lawsuits."

Jacob smiled brightly in relief. "That's great, Bella. You deserve the best. Now… go inspect something." I returned his smile as he waved me out the door.

My happy expression stayed on my face as I arranged the paperwork for that day's inspections and headed out the door, smiling reassuringly at Seth on my way by the counter.

~~~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~

I was eating my lunch in my car and texting Edward when my cell phone rang with a number I didn't recognize. "Hello?"

"Ms. Swan?" An unfamiliar male voice came across the line.

"Yes, who's this?"

"This is Detective Marcus Falk, with the Seattle Police Department."

My good mood elevated further. "Detective, thank you so much for calling me so quickly. Did my father tell you much about the situation my boyfriend has?" I got a little thrill from saying the word "boyfriend", especially in reference to Edward.

"Just that you needed to speak with a detective," he said, a bit impatiently. "What's this about, Ms. Swan?"

"To make a long story short, my boyfriend Edward lost his wealthy father about six months ago. Yesterday, he found out that his father's fiancé was planning to kill his father after the wedding." I was actually impressed that I'd summarized in just two sentences. "He has her plan on tape, and he's not sure what to do."

Detective Falk was silent for a moment. "I see," he said finally.

"And… she was trying to extort money from my boyfriend by claiming she was pregnant with his father's baby. She still is trying, technically. She doesn't know that he knows," I added.

The detective coughed tightly. "Is this on tape also?"

"Yes, it is. Do you think... I'd have to check with him, but could you possibly meet with him today and listen to the tape?"

"My office is at the Fifth Avenue station, and I'll be here until five o'clock today. Could he stop in before that, and bring a copy of the recording?"

"I'll speak with him, but I think that would be fine, Detective. Would around four o'clock be okay?" I assumed Edward's schedule was flexible, and the station wasn't far from my office. If he wanted me to, I could leave a little early and meet him there for moral support.

Detective Falk agreed, and I thanked him profusely for his help before we hung up. I immediately called Edward to relay the conversation, and he agreed to meet at my office fifteen minutes early and walk to the station together. We were about to hang up when something important crossed my mind.

"Um, Edward?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Please don't take this the wrong way, but… would you mind waiting for me in the lobby?" I held my breath and hoped he didn't get offended.

Thankfully, he chuckled lightly. "Why, Bella, baby, are you ashamed of me?"

"Not at all," I teased back. "I just don't want Jessica to get her claws in you again."

"All right, I'll meet you in the lobby," he laughed. "But just so you know, there's absolutely no competition. Even when I was there talking to Jessica, all I could think about was you," he said, his voice growing intense.

My heart sped up and I blushed as we said our goodbyes, in spite of the fact that I was alone in my car.

~~~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~

After work, I exited the elevator in the lobby to find Edward leaning against a pillar with a grin that made me forget everything else. I wanted to drag him to some dark corner and kiss him senseless, but quickly remembered that my co-workers could show up at any moment.

Instead, I grabbed his hand and we walked out onto the warm sunshine, heading down the sidewalk towards police headquarters. "Are you nervous?" I asked, gently squeezing his fingers between mine.

He shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, either way she's lost the lawsuit. I just don't want her to try this on anyone else." He pulled my hand closer and smiled. "Thanks for coming with me, Bella."

"Of course." I smiled back. We walked a few blocks in silence, but Edward's grip on my hand grew gradually tighter as we approached the bland tan bricks of the police headquarters.

We asked for Detective Falk at the front counter, and a short, dark-haired man in a rumpled brown suit emerged from the maze of desks. "Isabella Swan?"

I stood to shake his hand. "Detective Falk, thank you so much for seeing us. This is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen." A huge grin threatened to take over my face at my introduction, but I somehow kept it under wraps as the two men shook hands.

"Let's go to an interview room, shall we?" The detective lead the way, and Edward and I raised our eyebrows at each other wondering what we'd gotten into. Would we be put in an interrogation room like on TV?

Thankfully, the room the detective chose was more like a small conference room, with a computer on a small desk in one corner. He held out his hand for the CD Edward carried, and plopped it into the tray. "Before we listen to this, I want to get your story down. I'll be taking notes, okay?" the detective said, not really asking for permission, but we nodded anyway.

"Tell me when you first met this woman."

"Victoria Stone," Edward supplied with a scowl. "She started dating my father nearly a year ago…"

Edward told the story of his father and Victoria's fast-tracked courtship and engagement, the house his father had bought his young fiancé, and finally his untimely heart attack. When he arrived at Victoria's first announcement of her pregnancy, I was surprised and pleased to realize that I could be a corroborating witness.

Detective Falk looked at us a little strangely when I briefly explained how I'd come to be on Edward's front lawn that day, but nodded and scribbled notes on my version of the story on a separate page. I also jumped in and told him what I'd heard that day at Emmett's construction site, which was the first time Edward knew for sure she was lying.

"And why didn't you report her at that point?" Detective Falk arched his eyebrow at Edward accusingly. "You're a lawyer, you knew she was committing a crime. I'll be honest with you, Mr. Cullen, this would be much easier if you'd come forward at that point instead of engaging in some half-witted attempt to get your own recording of her."

"I realize that now, sir, and I'm sorry," Edward spoke carefully. "But at the time, I was so angry at her betrayal that I just wanted her out of my life as soon as possible."

The detective sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Well, let's hear this tape you made. Who's on it, exactly?"

Edward told him about James, and how they'd convinced him to be an unwitting accomplice. The other man shook his head with a small smile on his face and started the playback.

I reached over to hold Edward's hand firmly as the voices began speaking, but his face was as still as granite as Victoria coldly joked about murdering his father. The only sign of discomfort was his leg bobbing violently up and down under the table.

When the recording finished, the detective played it again, taking furious notes as Victoria spoke. Finally, he finished and turned to a fresh page in his notebook. "This was made yesterday? Have you had any contact with the suspect since then?"

Edward shook his head. "No, I haven't actually seen her since I told her to leave my house the last time. I've been dealing with her lawyer since then."

"Good, that's good. I'll probably need your friends to come make a statement too. And your friend…" He looked back through his notes "...Emmett McCarty is Mr. Hunter's boss? Is he going to have trouble maintaining a normal relationship for the moment?"

"I don't think he'll have trouble, but I'll speak to him tonight to make sure," Edward said.

The detective skimmed his notes one more time. "Well, I think I've got what I can for now. I'll do some background checking and fill out the official police report for the extortion charge. Unless some more solid evidence turns up, I think that will have to be our first step. I've got both your phone numbers, so I'll contact you when I know more." He stood, indicating that we were done, and Edward and I both shook his hand and thanked him before he lead us back to the front door.

Back on the sidewalk, we started strolling slowly back to my office where our cars were parked. I didn't want to force Edward to talk, but I needed to know how he was doing. We reached the parking garage all too soon; when I turned to face him I was surprised to see a slight smile on his face as he looked at me reverently.

"What's up with you?" I asked, giving him a playful shove.

"I'm just… surprised at how okay I am with everything. I know that whatever happens with Victoria, it will be fine. Because I've got you," he said, bringing our joined hands to his mouth for a kiss.

"You charmer," I said, pulling him close for a quick embrace. We were still right outside my office, after all. "Do you want to go get some dinner?"

"I'd love to, Bella," he said with a grin.

We decided to ride together and return for my car later, and as we drove off I sighed happily to myself. It had only been one day so far, but I could certainly get used to being Edward Cullen's girlfriend.

* * *

><p><strong>Um… yeah… lots happened there! We're winding down now, there's just one more chapter and an epilogue to go. Thanks for reading, and I'd love to hear what you think.<strong> **Shoot me a review or find me on Twitter - mamabean30. Take care, and happy holidays if you're celebrating this week!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Once again, FFN is not allowing review replies – so frustrating! Hopefully it will be fixed soon. In the meantime, thank you for all your kind words about the last chapter, and thanks as always for reading. I hope you had a very merry Christmas if you celebrated!**

**My pre-readers BookishQua and Twilover76 are fabulous, and I owe them all the thanks in the world! Extra-special thanks to my beta Detochkina, for all she's taught me along the way – I promise I'll write my next story with the quote tags right the **_**first**_** time! They're all very talented authors, so go read their stories!**

**Sadly, the characters were not under my tree for Christmas, so I guess they still belong to SM.**

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><p><em>Edward<em>

_._

A few days went by with no word from Detective Falk. I didn't hear anything more from Victoria's lawyer, either. I decided to wait it out, even though my blood pressure skyrocketed every time my phone rang. Emmett reported that everything seemed normal with James, but he promised to let me know if anything changed.

While I waited, I heard back from the director of the Immigrant Law Project, Esme Platt, and she invited me to visit the office and speak with her further on Wednesday morning. Walking through the front door of the office, I immediately felt like I was in the right place. The workspace was cobbled together with furnishings not far removed from what had been on my front lawn, but it buzzed with a lively energy that rivaled my father's old firm in the midst of an important case.

Esme met me in a ragtag waiting area littered with pamphlets in a variety of languages and lead me through an assortment of mismatched workstations piled high with files. We reached her comfortably cluttered office, and she moved a small pile of papers so I could sit down.

"Edward, it's wonderful to meet you. I'm so glad you wanted to learn more about us," she said with a kind smile.

"Good to meet you, too. Nice place you've got," I said sincerely.

She laughed. "Thanks. I have to admit, we go for cheap and functional over stylish any day, but we try to have a friendly atmosphere."

Shuffling some papers on her desk, she found a clipped packet of forms and handed them to me. "This is what we would need for your background check, as well as some information we require about your license to practice. Do you have any experience in immigration law at all?"

I shook my head, flipping through the documents. "Not since law school. I did take a course, but I'm sure I'd need to spend some time getting caught up."

"That's fine," Esme reassured. "If you do decide to come work for us, and once you're cleared to look at our client files, I'll pull copies of our most common cases to start you out. In the meantime…" she handed me some more paper, "...this is an information packet and FAQ sheet we give to potential clients. Just to give you a brief idea of what we do here."

"Thanks. How many lawyers do you have?"

Esme pulled her graying brown hair into a ponytail as she spoke. "We've got three that come volunteer about eight hours a week, and a junior associate who's just out of school and works here full time. Other than that, it's me." She shrugged. "I've worked here for fifteen years, so I've seen quite a bit. But I also supervise everyone and do some fundraising too, so I can't work on cases all the time. We've got some paralegals and administrative staff that help out, too, as well as interns on occasion." She smiled. "One of my favorite things is when former clients come back and intern for us. It happens quite often, actually."

I was impressed, but it made sense. "That's great. What area do you need the most help with?"

Esme laughed. "Well, we're always short on everything, it seems! But legal time is in huge demand, and we always have a backlog of cases we need to be working on. Time management can be hard, since sometimes the Department of Homeland Security will slow down or speed up a case for some random reason. Or sometimes for no reason at all." She rolled her eyes. "But we're at their mercy, so… what can we do?"

"Sue them?" I suggested with a teasing grin, and she laughed again, putting me at ease.

"We do that sometimes, although we prefer to resolve things out of court if we can. I'd say three quarters of the time, our clients just need someone to help them find the right form to fill out and file at the right place, and maybe make a call to let the bureaucrats know the client has legal representation." Esme smiled mischievously. "They tend to be slightly more understanding if we're involved."

I returned her smile, loving what I was hearing. This was just my kind of place – I'd get to work in a fun environment, pick fights with the government, and help people all at the same time.

Esme sat back in her chair, appraising my face. "So what type of involvement were you looking for, Edward?"

"I… I really don't have anything to do right now," I said, slightly embarrassed. "So I was thinking three, maybe four days a week to start?"

The older woman's eyes widened. "What type of compensation are you looking for? You mentioned volunteering in your e-mail, but with that amount of time…"

I shook my head. "I can volunteer. I might just need some flexibility with vacations and things, I'm not sure yet. Is most of your work during normal office hours?"

She nodded. "We've got to work around the government's schedule, and they clock out promptly at 4:30 P.M. We have an occasional client information session scheduled in the evening, but they're flexible."

"Okay, that should be fine. My girlfriend works daytime hours, too, so I want to coordinate our schedules if I can," I said. I was probably oversharing, but hey, I was excited to have a girlfriend. Actually, I was excited to have _Bella_ as my girlfriend.

"Oh, that's sweet," Esme said. "Young love, huh?"

I shrugged, grinning. "She's the best thing that's happened to me in a long time."

"Well, congratulations then." She paused. "Do you have any other questions for me?"

"I can't think of anything you didn't cover in the e-mail. I'll look over the forms and fill them out. Is it okay if I bring it back later this week?"

"Sure, that's great. Think about it before you decide, Edward. Talk about it with your girlfriend, your friends, whoever. We'd love to have you, and Lord knows we need the help, but I want you to be reasonably sure about your commitment before we start drowning you in work," she joked.

"I will, thanks," I said and stood to leave.

Esme led me out, giving me a more detailed tour of the office as we went. There was a library stuffed full of heavy legal books, containing within them the keys to the various cases we'd encounter. There were a couple of small conference rooms and a large one, all furnished with mismatched chairs and tables that were sturdy but scratched. She gestured to the work areas, and pointed out a corner I could claim for my own if I chose to work there. We parted in the waiting area, which had filled with clients of different skin colors and languages. It was wonderful chaos, and I felt very at home.

I shook Esme's hand before saying goodbye. "Thanks again for meeting with me, and for the tour."

"My pleasure, Edward. I hope to hear from you soon." She waved with one last smile as I walked out the door.

~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~

I was invited to Bella's that evening to cook dinner with her, but I had some time to kill first. Despite her initial skepticism, I'd insisted on picking up the ingredients, so she handed over her list. She wanted to make Pad Thai, and I was happy to spend my afternoon as her errand boy running to different Asian grocery stores to find the specific noodles and spices she wanted.

Even though I dawdled in the store for quite a while, it still seemed like forever until five o'clock rolled around and I could head over to Bella's. That would definitely be another advantage of having a job – I was sure the days would fly by at the busy non-profit. I made one last stop to pick up some daisies for Bella and rang her buzzer at precisely 5:15 P.M.

She opened the door quickly and took the flowers with a surprised smile. "Edward? You didn't have to do that." She grabbed my hand and pulled me into the apartment, smelling the bouquet in her hand, and I knew I'd scored a point or two. "Thank you, though. Here, put the bags in the kitchen."

I unloaded the groceries, putting a few things in the fridge while she got out a vase for the flowers. "Let me just go change out of my work clothes, and then we can start dinner," she said.

Certain parts of me perked up when Bella talked about taking her clothes off. "Oh yeah? Need any help?" I asked with a hopeful smile.

She smiled and shot me a heated look as she started to unbutton her shirt. "Well, if you're offering…" She trailed off, sauntering slowly toward her bedroom.

Hell yes, I was offering. I followed her closely, wrapping my arms around her and shooing away her fingers so I could work on the buttons while I kissed her neck.

We stumbled into her bedroom and she turned to face me in her now-disheveled clothing, a smirk on her red lips. "Come here," I breathed, unable to believe this woman was actually mine.

I removed the rest of her clothes piece by piece, and somehow she managed to get mine off as well. We fell on her bed and lost ourselves in each other, completely forgetting about trivial things like dinner or new jobs or police detectives who hadn't called. We moved in harmony together, kissing languidly and sharing hot breath as we brought each other to blissful climax.

Afterwards, we lay tangled together on top of Bella's comforter, and she shivered slightly while I traced the freckles on her arm. "Cold?" I asked softly.

"Just a little. I love laying here with you, though." She turned to kiss me gently on the lips. "Are you hungry?"

"Well, now that you mention it…" I teased, kissing her deeply before releasing her so we could get up. We cleaned up and dressed, then headed into the kitchen to start cooking dinner.

Bella directed me to boil some water and get out the frying pan while she chopped the vegetables. We worked comfortably together, and I told her about Esme and the Immigrant Law Project.

"It sounds wonderful, Edward. Are you going to do it?" she asked, pointing me towards the garlic that needed to be pressed. Good thing we'd gotten plenty of kisses in already.

I smiled. "I think I am. The office was great, I think I'd fit right in. I'm ready to be doing something with my life," I said honestly.

"I'm happy for you, then." She smiled back and kissed me. She started in for a hug but moved away when the oil popping in the pan signaled it was beyond ready. "Shoot! Quit distracting me, now."

"Excuse me? You kissed me, baby," I teased back.

"Just stop being so damn cute over there, then." She giggled, and we laughed together at how happy we were and how silly we sounded. "Oh my God, we're so cheesy." She chuckled some more.

"I like it," I admitted, hugging her from behind.

"Me too," she said, snuggling into me for a moment before stirring the food one more time. "Now let's eat."

~~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~

Although Bella's bed had nothing on my high-end king-size, I spent a heavenly night in it with her in my arms. I kissed her goodbye the next morning and was on my way back to my house when the shrill ring of my phone drowned out the car stereo.

"Mr. Cullen? This is Detective Falk," a gruff voice came over the line.

"Yes, Detective. What can I do for you?" I asked, suddenly nervous.

"I have an update for you, and it may come as a bit of a surprise," he warned. "After the tape you submitted, we investigated Victoria Stone further. Before long, we learned that she's currently wanted in Florida on several accounts of theft by swindle under the alias of Heidi Arrow."

I was stunned. "Florida?"

"Yes, Mr. Cullen. We have her in custody now, but she'll be extradited to Miami to face the charges there first. You can press charges for attempted extortion or for conspiracy to commit murder, but they won't be handled until after the larger case is settled."

"Okay." My mind was racing. "Um... can I think about it?"

"Sure," he said sympathetically. "We brought in her boyfriend, James Hunter, and he talked right away. Even produced the copy of the tape he had, which was good corroboration. But she's denying everything, so I'm not sure what kind of charges would be possible. I'll talk to the District Attorney's office about it, maybe have someone give you a call?"

"Sure. Yes, that would be… great," I said, still unable to process the situation.

"Oh, and when we arrested and processed her, we discovered that she was in fact wearing a belly pad in order to appear pregnant. It was immediately clear that she could not be carrying your sibling, but we got a warrant for a blood test to be sure she wasn't pregnant. It was negative."

I sighed in relief. "Thanks for letting me know, Detective."

"You're welcome, Mr. Cullen. I'll speak with someone from the D.A.'s office today and they'll be in touch about filing charges," he assured me before hanging up.

I pulled up in front of my house, turned off the car, and sat in silence for several minutes, absorbing the news that Victoria, or Heidi, or whoever, was out of my life. She was in custody, on her way to Florida, and I wouldn't have to see her ever again.

The front of my house now looked quite normal, and I stared objectively at it. It was full of historical charm with the white-painted front porch and tall stately windows, but honestly? I hated it. With Bella in my life, and potential employment at the Immigrant Law Project, this was the last major piece of my life that just didn't fit. Then and there, I decided to talk to Jasper that night and call a realtor about selling.

Walking slowly across the front yard, I smiled as I remembered meeting my beautiful Bella out here among the junk. Feeling strangely nostalgic, I sat on the front porch reflecting and relaxing until I thought of something else I really, really wanted to do.

I practically skipped to my office and dug through my file until I found the paperwork I was looking for, punching in the numbers on my phone with a grin.

"Denali and Denali, how can I help you?" a professional voice answered.

"Yes, I'd like to speak to Tanya please," I said, in my politest tone.

"May I ask who's calling? I'll need to check and see if Ms. Denali is available," the receptionist smarmed.

"This is Edward Cullen. Tell her I'm ready to make a deal." I held back my laughter, knowing that the idea of a settlement would make Victoria's lawyer rush to the phone.

"Just a moment, please."

Some cheesy hold music played for all of fifteen seconds. "Mr. Cullen? I'm so pleased you've called," Tanya said. "You're ready to settle?"

"Not exactly," I corrected. "I'm ready to make a deal."

"All right," she replied cautiously. "What are the terms of your deal?"

"In light of the charges against your client and the now-proven fact that she's not actually pregnant, I'm going to file a motion to dismiss her suit. And my deal is that if you don't contest the motion, I won't include your firm when I file criminal charges against her for attempted extortion."

The other end of the line was silent for so long, I could have sworn I heard crickets chirping. "I'll have to discuss this with my client," Tanya finally muttered.

"I understand," I said with a wide grin. "You may want to try her at the county jail, but I'd hurry if I were you. I hear she's being extradited to Florida soon to face theft by swindle charges."

"Oh." She sounded shell-shocked, and I didn't really blame her. The Denali sisters had a reputation as ball-breaking divorce lawyers that no man wanted to face in a courtroom. At the same time, they were highly competent and honest underneath it all, and I was relatively certain that Victoria had lied to them as well.

"Well, you know how to reach me, correct?" I asked, my tone upbeat.

Tanya cleared her throat. "Yes, Mr. Cullen. I'll get back to you as soon as I can."

"I'll be looking forward to your call." I chuckled as I hung up and did a little dance around the room. There was no feeling quite like getting the best of another attorney.

Once I finished celebrating, I located the paperwork I needed to dismiss the suit and filled out the information with glee, getting everything ready to file. Hopefully, once Tanya confirmed my story, she would drop Victoria like a cheating husband and call me back right away so I could be done with this mess.

Since I was on a roll filling out paperwork, I pulled out the background check forms for the Immigrant Law Project. Once they were complete, I scanned and e-mailed them to Esme with a note confirming that I'd like to start working soon.

While I waited for Tanya to call, I found the book from the class I'd taken on immigration law and started to refresh my memory. I'd just begun the chapter on different types of short-term visas available when Jasper walked in the door.

"Hey, man, how was your day?" he asked, rummaging through the fridge for a beer. He held one out in my direction, but I shook my head. I was still hoping to head to the courthouse soon.

"It was…" I paused, looking for a word to describe everything that had happened. "Eventful," I finished. "Good, though."

Jasper looked a little confused but nodded anyway. "What happened?"

I explained what Detective Falk had told me, and then my conversation with Tanya, as well as my new job. Finally, I reached the topic I'd really wanted to talk about with him. "Hey, I was thinking today… I might want to sell this house. What do you think? I mean, of course we'd buy someplace new for us," I added quickly, not wanting him to think I was kicking him out.

Jasper shrugged. "It's your house, Edward. You can do what you want. Although…" He blushed a little. "I've actually been thinking about asking Alice if she wanted to move in with me. Get a new place with me, I mean," he clarified.

"Yeah? That's great, bro." I was a little surprised that he was committing so fast, but he certainly seemed happy, and he and Alice spent almost every night together as it was. "What about Bella, though?"

Jasper cleared his throat. "I don't know. I haven't even asked Alice yet, but I think they still have some time on their lease, so maybe Bella would stay there and get a new roommate? I'm not sure." He tipped the last sip of his beer into his mouth. "I just wanted to give you a heads-up, though."

"I get it, Jazz. I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," he said, embarrassed. "Want to play some Halo while you wait for the lawyer to call you back?"

I smiled. "That would be perfect."

We chased and blasted away at each other until my phone interrupted, and I quickly paused the game. "This is Edward Cullen," I said formally, after a glance at the caller ID told me it was the Denali firm.

"Mr. Cullen, I wanted to inform you that Ms. Stone will not contest the motion to dismiss," Tanya said, and then her voice softened. "I also wanted to let you know that once the motion is filed and the case is dismissed, our firm will no longer be representing Ms. Stone. With the different jurisdiction as well as the change in nature of the case, we are simply not equipped to handle her needs."

Reading between the lines, I decided they were as surprised by Victoria's deception as I was. "Thank you for the information, Ms. Denali. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go try to file this paperwork yet today."

"I understand, Mr. Cullen." Tanya started to say something else, but stopped herself.

Since it seemed she had nothing else, I said, "Goodbye then, Ms. Denali," and hung up. I still had about half an hour to make it to the courthouse. "Sorry, Jazz, I've got to bail on the game."

"No problem, dude. I'm gonna see what Alice is up to in a bit, anyway." He stretched and grabbed his empty beer bottle off the table. "Is it okay if I talk to her tonight about the moving thing?"

"Sure. Good luck, man." I held out my fist for a bump, and Jasper grinned with excitement.

I retrieved the file folder from my desk and dashed to the car, making it downtown with ten minutes to spare. The clerk gave me a dirty look when she thought I wasn't paying attention, but she stamped my papers and filed them anyway.

I wandered out into the hall of the courthouse, and realized I was right next door to Bella's office. Would it be stalkerish to show up at her work again, I wondered? I was her boyfriend, after all. I settled for texting her. _You still at the office?_

_Yes, done soon_ She replied quickly.

_Can I buy you dinner? I have news_

_I'll buy YOU dinner, and good news or bad?_

I laughed affectionately at my girl's independent streak. _Ok fine. And good news._

_Good __:)__ Okay, leaving now. Where should I meet you?_

_The sidewalk?_

_What sidewalk? Is that a restaurant?_

I chuckled, and people passing by looked at me a little strangely. _The sidewalk in front of your office._

There was no response for a minute or two. _You're here?_ She sent finally.

_Yes. Is that ok?_

_Be right down,_ was all I got back, and I paced a little, hoping she wasn't mad.

I stared at the entry doors to the building until my gorgeous girlfriend emerged, dressed in a blue skirt that made me want to slide my fingers up under it. Hopefully she'd oblige me later.

"Hey." She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and grabbed my hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Sorry, I hope this is okay," I said, gesturing to the building. "I just had to file some things next door, and so…" I trailed off as a middle-aged man in pleated khakis exited the building and stared at us with wide eyes.

"Shit," Bella whispered under her breath and turned to face the man. "Hello, Mike."

The man raised his eyebrows, eyeing our joined hands. "Hey, Bella. Who's your friend?"

Bella gave a resigned sigh. "Mike, this is my boyfriend, Edward Cullen. Edward, this is Mike Newton, one of my co-workers."

Mike's eyes grew wider. "Your boyfriend? Edward Cullen?"

I smiled and moved forward to shake his hand. "Wonderful to meet you, Mike," I gushed in my best overly friendly voice, and didn't release the handshake even when he pulled back a little. "I actually owe you a great big thank-you, I hear."

"You do?" Mike seemed confused and kept glancing down at his hand, which I was still grasping.

"I do. I understand you're the one who passed the complaint about me on to Bella in a brilliant feat of delegation. I'm just so happy to be with her, you see, and if you'd done the inspection yourself like you were supposed to, she and I never would have met. In fact, who knows… it could have been you and me here, hand in hand on the sidewalk," I teased, squeezing his hand a little before caressing it gently.

"Um… no… I… you're welcome?" Mike said, pulling his hand away forcefully and turning to walk down the street. "Nice to meet you," he called over his shoulder as he hurried off.

Bella looked stressed, but she was laughing, too. "Oh, Edward, what am I going to do with you?" she asked, shaking her head. "Those guys are going to be gossiping like junior high girls tomorrow. Oh well, at least now I can do this." She grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me down for a real hello kiss, and I gladly deepened it, lifting her off the ground.

When I set her back down, she laughed breathlessly. "I can't believe you said that to Mike. The look on his face!" She giggled.

"What? I'm sorry, I just wanted to give him a little payback for how he treated you. Besides, homophobia is wrong," I said, my face the picture of innocence. I took her hand and swung it playfully as I lead her towards the Greek restaurant I'd spotted a block away. "Greek food okay?" I asked, and she nodded.

"You said you had good news?" she inquired after we were seated.

"Yeah…" I wasn't sure where exactly to start. "Detective Falk called me today. Victoria's in jail, and it turns out she's wanted for some crimes down in Florida. So they're going to send her down there," I said.

Bella blinked at me a few times before she regained the ability to speak. "Really?"

"Yeah... nuts, right? I filed a motion to dismiss her case against me just now, and her lawyer says they're not going to contest it."

"I should hope not!" She chuckled. "Wow, Edward. She's really gone? This is done?"

I nodded slowly. "I think so. I have to decide whether or not I want to press charges for extortion and for her threats against my dad. The detective was going to have someone from the D.A.'s office call me…" I remembered that this was one decision I still had to make.

Bella reached out and covered my hand with hers. "What are you thinking about that?" she asked.

"Honestly, I don't know," I said, playing with her fingers distractedly. "Part of me wants to be done with this, and if she's going to jail in Florida, I don't need anything else. But then I think about what she said about my dad, and it makes me so damn angry, I feel like she should pay for that." I ran my hand through my hair in frustration. "What do you think?"

She squeezed my hand in support. "You definitely need to get more information from the D.A. and see what they recommend. But then you've got to think about it for a while. There's no perfect solution, it's just whatever imperfect one you can live with the best." She stroked my fingers, and I briefly closed my eyes at how wonderful it felt. "Whatever happens, though, I'll be here for you," she said softly.

My eyes flew open and met her sincere brown ones, and even though we hadn't been together that long, I knew I was falling in love. It was a little awkward, but I couldn't help leaning across the table and kissing her soundly.

We broke apart when the waiter arrived with our food. Bella looked a little embarrassed, but I just smiled.

I asked about her day as we started eating, and it was a relief to be discussing mundane things like the bizarre bricklayer she'd encountered at a jobsite. After some easy, lighter conversation, I decided to bring up the other things I wanted to talk to her about. "Hey, baby, I had a thought today…"

"Just one?" she teased.

"Oh, I've had more than one." I raised my eyebrows suggestively. "And I look forward to acting those thoughts out in great detail later tonight."

Bella laughed at my corniness, but her eyes sparked with lust as well. "No, really, what were you thinking?"

"I think I'm going to sell the house. I hate it, and I don't need all the space."

She nodded. "That makes sense. Where would you and Jasper move?"

"I thought about buying a loft or a rowhouse closer to downtown. But…" I wasn't sure how much to reveal about Jasper's plan to move in with Alice, but I didn't want to keep secrets from my girlfriend either. "Don't be upset, okay?"

She nodded, looking a little freaked out already. "What? What is it?"

I shook my head. Why was there no good way to tell a woman not to worry? "Don't tell Alice until she mentions it, but Jasper's going to get his own place, and he wants Alice to move in with him."

Bella sat back in her chair. "Wow. I guess I'm not surprised, though. They spend almost every night together, and they seem pretty head-over-heels in love."

"I know," I agreed. "Do you think she'll say yes?"

"Yeah. She loves him," Bella said, looking at me curiously.

"So… what do you think you'll do?" I fished.

She shrugged. "I don't know. We've still got like six months left on our lease, so I've got to stay. I suppose I could look for another roommate, but I don't really want to – no one would be the same after Alice, and with this job I can afford the place on my own."

I was relieved. I didn't want to rush things, but in the back of my mind I hoped that when Bella's lease was up, we might be ready to move in together as well. No new roommate would be one less complication. And speaking of Bella's job…

"So about your job, I need to ask you something." I fidgeted nervously.

"What is it? You're freaking me out again."

I sighed but went ahead with what I wanted to say. "I know that being a building inspector isn't exactly what you wanted to do with your life," I began. "And I… I've got the resources, and I'd love to help you start your own firm if that's what you want."

Bella stared at me open-mouthed. "Um…" she said before trailing off again.

When she hadn't said anything after a few moments, I started to get worried. "Bella? Talk to me."

She rubbed her forehead roughly with her hand. "Edward… that's really sweet. But we've been dating for a week."

"So?" I didn't see the connection.

"_So, _what if it doesn't work out? I can't take investment money from you – if we broke up, that would just get ugly."

I must have looked somewhat crestfallen, because she quickly added, "Not that we're going to break up, it's just… that's so generous of you, but it's really way too soon for something like that. And I've made a commitment to the City, and I _do_ like my job. Maybe in the future, when we have kids, it would be nice to do design work part time. But I'm happy where I'm at, right now."

I was stuck on one particular thing she'd said. "You want to have kids with me?"

"Oh my _God_!" She turned red and covered her face. "I can't believe I said that! I didn't mean… it was hypothetical. Just forget it, please?"

"Hey." I tugged her hand away from her crimson cheek and kissed it. "I understand. Don't worry about it, okay? I just wanted you to know that seed money was an option, if you wanted."

Her face softened a little. "Thanks. But, no thanks for now."

I kissed her hand again. "Fair enough. You ready to get out of here? You'll remember I had some thoughts earlier, and now you're just adding to them. If we might want to have kids someday, we really need some practice."

"Practice?" Bella laughed. "What, like you want to go babysit for someone?"

"No, sweetheart." I smiled. "We need to practice making the babies."

She shook her head at me, but returned my smile anyway. "You are something else, Edward Cullen."

"Something good, I hope?" I stood from the booth and pulled her to her feet to stand close to me.

She wrapped her arms around me and lifted her face for a kiss. "Something very good," she said. "Now bring me home and take me to bed."

I chuckled to myself. This whole thing had started with me defying her orders, but this was one instruction I was more than happy to obey. "Yes ma'am," I said with a grin. "Your wish is my command."

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><p><strong>Last chapter! Just an epilogue to go next week. I'll post a longer note then, with some info about what I'm working on next. Thanks, as always for reading! Happy New Year!<strong>


	17. Epilogue

**Long, gushy A/N at the bottom, but breakfast is dedicated to the beautiful GingerandGreen. Love you! Also, the characters belong to SM.**

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><p><em>Bella<em>

_._

I knocked on the heavy cherry-wood door with butterflies in my stomach. While I waited, I straightened the belt of my sensible tan trenchcoat, keeping a tight grip on the clipboard in my hand. After a few moments, the door was opened by an extremely handsome man, familiar green eyes twinkling behind his glasses.

"Yes, may I help you?" he asked, his gaze raking up and down my body.

"Edward Cullen?"

"That's me," he replied with a wink.

"I'm Inspector Bella Swan, with the City of Seattle. I'm here about a complaint we've received," I said, struggling to keep my voice as professional as possible.

"A complaint? Oh my, I'm sorry to hear that. Please, won't you come in so we can discuss it?" Edward opened the door wider and gestured for me to enter.

I stepped through the entry into the large, elegant great room of the condo, pausing to admire the view of the Sound from the floor to ceiling glass windows. When I reached the living room area, I perched in the center of the black leather sofa.

Edward stepped towards the sofa as well but stopped suddenly. "I'm sorry, Inspector Swan, I'm being terribly rude. Can I offer you something to drink? I have water, or… I was about to open this nice bottle of wine, if you'd care to join me?"

I considered for a moment. "I really shouldn't drink on the job, Mr. Cullen."

"Well, certainly not, under normal circumstances. But it's Friday, after business hours. Are you going back to the office?"

He had me there. "No, I'm not going back."

"Well, then, I insist." He opened the bottle of chardonnay that was sitting on the nearby kitchen countertop, and poured into the two waiting glasses. With a slight bow, he handed me a goblet and then took a seat in the club chair next to the sofa.

I sipped my wine and hummed in appreciation, then consulted my clipboard. "Now, Mr. Cullen, we've received a complaint about your property at the city offices, and it's very important that I speak with you about it."

"Yes, of course, Inspector Swan. You have my undivided attention," he said, leaning forward.

"Um…" I was momentarily distracted by the sight of Edward's lips on the rim of his wineglass. "Yes, well, you're in violation of Section 123… of something. And you need to rectify this right away."

Edward placed his hand on his chest in shock. "Section 123? That sounds serious." He moved closer. "Tell me, Inspector Swan, what can I do to remedy this violation? I'm willing to do… _anything_." Lust burned in his eyes, and I felt my body begin to respond.

"Hmmm… there's quite a _stiff_ penalty for this particular infraction. Are you sure you're up to the task?" I challenged. When Edward first suggested roleplaying, I was skeptical, but I found I was enjoying it quite a bit.

"Oh, Inspector. I think you'll find I'm up for whatever challenge you have in mind, no matter how _hard_," he answered.

"That's good to know, Mr. Cullen. I… I hope you don't mind, but it's a little warm in here. Would it be all right if I removed my coat?" I had a surprise for him.

Edward looked a little confused when I deviated from our 'script', but he nodded. With a smirk, I stood up and untied the belt of my trench, slowly unfasten the buttons to reveal the skimpy lingerie underneath. My thigh-high black stockings fastened into a garter belt built into a red chemise, and my boyfriend's eyes grew wide as saucers when the outfit was revealed and I casually tossed my coat onto a chair.

"Jesus… fuck, Bella," he whispered.

"Excuse me, Mr. Cullen?" I replied, maintaining a prim tone. I sat back down on the sofa, delicately crossing my legs, and took another sip of my wine.

"Uh…" Edward seemed at a loss for words.

"Oh, just one more thing..." I reached up behind my head and removed the pins holding my tight bun in place, shaking my hair down my back with my fingers. "Oh, that's so much better. Now, I believe you were saying something about being ready to face the consequences of your misbehavior?" I challenged him with my gaze, eyebrow arched.

"Oh, fuck this," Edward said, barely getting his wineglass safely to the side table before launching himself at me.

I laughed as he landed on top of me on the couch, pushing me to my back and kissing me deeply. "Oh my… Mr. Cullen… this is very… unusual…" I gasped out in between giggles and kisses.

"Bella, God… I love you, but you can't expect me to sit over there when you look like this. It's unnatural," Edward said before attaching his lips to my neck.

His hands were running all over my body, alternating between the slippery silk of the lingerie and my smooth skin, and I couldn't maintain my composure any longer. "Oh, Edward…" I moaned. "Does this mean… ohhhh… you're not going to make up for your… mmm… violation?"

"Hell yes, I am," he vowed, and his kisses moved lower. "Now, don't get me wrong, I appreciate this," he said, dragging his fingers across my lace thong. "But how the fuck do I get it off of you?"

I laughed and helped him unbuckle the garters so he could move the scrap of fabric down my legs. He tossed it across the room with glee and settled himself between my legs.

"Do you want me to take off the rest? The stockings… ohhh!" I lost all further words; his tongue working deliciously against my body to create the indescribable feelings that were becoming so familiar and yet more exciting the longer we dated. I writhed and gasped, moaning my way to a blissful climax.

I pulled him back up to my mouth for a kiss, loving the taste of myself on his lips. He pulled back slightly and looked at me, chuckling. "Well, Inspector Swan? What about that violation, is my slate clean?" He continued stroking me gently below, just enough to keep me aroused and aching for him.

"Mmmm," I hummed. "That certainly helped matters, but I had something harder in mind."

"Why, Inspector Swan, that's quite a coincidence." He smirked and pressed his firm erection into my hip. "I happen to have something hard very close at hand."

"Oh my," I gasped, as his fingers explored me deeper. "That_ is_ a coincidence. Although, I'll have to see what you have to offer before I can agree to clear your record." I reached down to rub him through his jeans.

It was his turn to groan. "Uh, Inspector, would you mind helping me with the zipper? My own hand seems to be otherwise engaged at the moment." He swirled his thumb around my clitoris to prove how busy his fingers were, and my eyes briefly rolled back in my head.

When I came back to my senses, I continued stroking him while I worked down the zipper of his jeans, undoing the button to free him completely. I ran my hand up and down his length through his boxers, his eyes closing in bliss.

"I admit, Mr. Cullen, I'm impressed by what I feel here. But I think I need a closer look." I moved him onto his back, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing my way down his chest, then moved off of him to pull off his jeans and underwear.

He lay still, breathing heavily and nearly naked, and I reveled in the sight of his gorgeous body. I knelt next to the couch and began teasing him with open-mouthed kisses on his hard cock, licking and sucking gently without giving in to what he really wanted. His hips thrust gently upwards, searching for my lips, and he moaned. "Fuck, Bella… I can't handle… ugh… need you. Bed."

I had no sooner murmured my agreement than he jumped up and swooped me into his arms, dashing towards the bedroom and tossing me on the bed as I squealed. He tore off his shirt and joined me, kissing and thrusting and caressing until I felt I would go mad. Somehow I'd lost my chemise, and one of my stockings was halfway down my leg, but none of it mattered when Edward pushed himself inside of me.

We moved together desperately, purposefully; Edward's thrusts punctuated with kisses and nibbles and declarations of love. When I couldn't hold on any longer, I cried out and clenched around him, feeling him throbbing inside of me soon after.

Gasping and sweaty, we held each other tight until our breathing steadied. "Sorry, I guess my outfit cut our game a little short," I said eventually, giggling.

"Baby, don't you ever fucking apologize for wearing something like that. Goddamn." Edward threw his head back on the pillow, dragging me into his side. "We didn't rip it or anything, did we? You can wear it again sometime?" He glanced around half-heartedly before collapsing again. "Although I do like you out of it, too," he said, caressing my breast.

"I'm sure it's fine. And consider your violation cleared, Mr. Cullen," I teased.

"Well, that's a relief." Edward hummed in satisfaction, then maneuvered us underneath the rumpled covers. "Are you hungry? We could order Chinese or something."

I loved to cook, but right then I didn't feel like moving an inch while in my boneless, post-orgasmic bliss. "Sounds great."

Edward sighed and lurched out of bed, and I got a nice view of his fantastic ass while he dashed to the living room. I heard him on the phone placing an order, then he appeared in the doorway wearing his boxers before snuggling back into bed.

"We've got twenty to thirty minutes… enough time for round two?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye.

I laughed. "I'm not sure we could top that so soon, it was pretty incredible."

He chuckled back and kissed my head. "That it was, my love. You're pretty incredible, though, so you shouldn't be surprised."

I grinned up at him. "I love you. And you're pretty incredible yourself."

Edward gave a long sigh of satisfaction. "Yeah, I know."

We both laughed at that, holding each other and filling our afterglow with quiet chatter and silly teasing until a knock on the door signaled it was time to pull clothes on and eat. I borrowed one of Edward's t-shirts, but had taken to leaving some of my lounge pants at his place so I had something comfortable to wear that wouldn't fall off my ass.

A perfectly relaxing post-coital evening was spent eating from greasy white boxes on the couch in front of the television. When we put the food aside, snuggling turned into caressing and touching, and soon we were naked in Edward's bed once again, connecting more slowly but no less passionately the second time around. After we were spent, and before we drifted off to sleep together, I wondered how I'd ever lived without this kind of bliss in my life.

~~~~~~~~SiC~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, I woke up before Edward and pried myself out of his arms. Throwing on some comfortable clothes, I wandered to his sleek, modern kitchen to cook us some breakfast. After starting the coffee maker, I opened the fridge and pondered what to make for breakfast.

Edward's new condo was just a few blocks from Pike Place Market, and we went there often to buy produce and seafood. I pulled out some fresh fruit to cut up for a salad, and decided I could make a frittata with some of the vegetables he had on hand. I found the heavy cast-iron skillet right where I'd left it and smiled at the memory of buying it.

Helping my boyfriend outfit his new home had been fun, but… odd. He'd asked my opinion about almost everything, especially the kitchen, until I felt like I'd been tricked into outfitting my own fantasy cooking paradise. If I admired something but put it aside as too expensive, Edward would go back later and buy it anyway. He dismissed my protests easily, saying he would be the one to benefit from my cooking.

The same was true to a lesser extent in the other rooms. He already had a top-of-the-line bed, of course, but we picked out a bedroom set, living room furniture, and even a dining room table since his new place had a large game room for his recliners and video game systems. When everything was delivered, set up, and unpacked, I felt completely at home. In my head I knew it was far too soon, but it felt like I should be moving in, too.

Still, I kept my own apartment once Alice and Jasper moved into their own cozy place. Although I spent a lot of time at Edward's, it was nice to have a place that was all mine for once. I had turned Alice's old room into a guest room for my dad when he came to visit, since his trips increased in frequency once he found out I was seeing someone seriously.

The first time Charlie met Edward was awkward. My father arrived a few hours early, knocking on my door during our pre-parental visit stress-relieving make-out session. I quickly straightened my clothes and finger-combed my hair before answering the door, but the critical look he gave me signaled that he knew exactly what had been going on.

My still-rumpled boyfriend cleared his throat. "You must be Mr. Swan, sir. I'm Edward Cullen, nice to meet you." He stood and offered a handshake, but Charlie just looked at it with disdain, as if he could tell that the hand Edward held out had been enthusiastically caressing his daughter's ass just moments before.

"Hello there," he said with a brief nod. "How's that police problem going?"

Edward stiffened. "Well, the woman who planned to kill my father and was trying to extort money from me is now in prison, so I'd say it's going all right. Thanks for connecting me with Detective Falk, though. He was a big help."

Charlie's eyes widened, the only outward acknowledgement of emotion at Edward's surprising revelation. "Well, uh… I'm glad he was able to help. And it's good that the bad guy… or gal, I guess… is behind bars." He looked around and motioned to his small duffel bag. "Bells, where do you want me to put this?"

I took the bag and set it on the bed in the guest room, but was horrified at the conversation when I returned.

"…so you understand why I don't want my daughter mixed up in anything like that. You put her through enough grief already with your junk and your lawsuit antics," Charlie was saying to Edward, leveling him with an intimidating stare.

"Dad!" I cried, rushing to stand between them. "Remember, we talked about this? I'm an adult, and you promised to be nice to him. He's a good guy now, he volunteers for the law firm... remember?"

"Hrmph," Charlie grunted. "I remember… 'he's important', right?"

I blushed but nodded. I was about to offer drinks and try to change the topic of conversation but was interrupted when Edward spoke up.

"You're right, though," he interjected. "I did cause problems for her, and I'll be forever sorry for that. I'm very grateful that she's forgiven me, and I swear to you that I won't ever do something so foolish again. She's important to me, too." He gazed at me with a promise in his eyes, and if my dad hadn't been three feet away, I would have kissed him senseless.

Charlie looked at Edward for several moments, appraising his sincerity. "All right, then," he finally said.

"So, Edward, I hear you got us some pretty fancy tickets to the ball game tonight. What do you think, do the Mariners have any shot at winning?"

I sighed in relief. Although the situation was still awkward, it was no longer unbearable, and things got slightly better with each subsequent visit. Charlie was due to come again in two weeks, so I made a mental note to ask Edward if there was a sporting event going on we could distract him with.

Jerking back to the present, I noticed that the coffee was done, so I poured myself a cup to sip while I finished sauteing the green peppers and onions. I added the egg mixture and put the whole skillet in the oven to bake. Humming to myself, I sliced up the fruit and mixed it together, then put some bacon on the griddle, figuring the smell should wake Edward up.

Sure enough, I was flipping the meat when two strong arms wrapped around my waist. I leaned back into Edward's chest, tilting my head to give him better access to kiss my neck. Once he had me sufficiently distracted, he reached past me to snitch a strawberry from the bowl of fruit salad on the counter. I playfully swatted his hand, then pouted. "Where's mine?"

He smiled and selected a juicy piece of cantaloupe, bringing it to my lips and watching intently as I bit, capturing a stray drop with his fingertip. Of course, I had to help him out by sucking the remaining juice off his finger, which led to some deep, deliciously fruit-flavored kisses. Only when the bacon began popping in the pan did I turn back to the stove, rolling my eyes at Edward's groan of disappointment.

"How many times do I have to tell you, don't distract me while I'm cooking!" I asked. I turned off the burner and removed the bacon, then checked on the frittata, which was nearly done as well.

"Hey, it's not my fault that you look so incredibly sexy while you cook," he replied. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Could you get out some plates? _Real_ ones," I added with a smile.

He put his hand to his chest in mock offense. "As if I would use anything else? Real cooking deserves real plates, even I know that." He kissed my temple and moved to the cupboard, gathering what he needed to set the table.

It felt so comfortable, working and sharing space with him, and I had a huge smile on my face when we sat down to eat.

"What?" Edward asked, smiling back.

"Nothing. I'm just… happy. I like being here," I said.

"Mmmm…" Edward took a bite of his eggs and closed his eyes in bliss. "Well, I definitely love having you here. And not just for your cooking," he added with a roguish wink.

Taking a piece of bacon, I grinned. "Oh, really?"

"Yes… in fact…" Edward took a deep breath before continuing, "…I know we've talked about this a little, but I want to make it official." Reaching into the pocket of his lounge pants, he pulled out a key with a red bow wrapped around it. "Bella Swan, love of my life, will you move in with me?"

Despite my best efforts, a joyful giggle slipped out. "Edward, you goof, I already have a key to your place."

His cheeks turned red. "I know, but I wanted you to have an extra one… I guess." He laughed along with me. "It's more of a symbol, I thought it would be romantic or something."

I was touched. "It is, thank you. And…" I sighed, but realized that I was ready with my answer. "Yes, I'll move in. But we have to talk about the bills and how we're going to split stuff," I warned.

Edward waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, sure. But you will? Maybe today?" he asked, with a hopeful smile.

I laughed at his adorable enthusiasm. "I'll move in but not today. I've got to give notice at my apartment and figure out what to keep of my stuff… and we've got to tell Charlie," I said, my nerves fluttering at the thought.

Apprehension flashed across Edward's face. "Aw, Charlie and I are buddies now," he said, not sounding sure of himself.

"Well, he's coming to town in two weeks, so you'd better start thinking about what kind of tickets you can get to butter him up," I joked.

His eyes squinted as he consulted his mental schedule of sporting events, but then he shook his head and flashed me a bright smile. "You're really moving in with me?"

I nodded, and he stood up and pulled me to my feet for a long embrace. "I can't wait," he whispered when he finally pulled away. He shut his eyes and stood without speaking for several seconds.

"What are you doing?" I asked, my curiosity overwhelming me.

"Just saying thanks to the first person that left an ugly couch by the side of the road, so Jasper and I could pick it up. It turned out to be the best decision I ever made," he said, chuckling.

I giggled along. "I guess, but I'm glad you're a law-abiding citizen now."

"Me too, mostly," he replied. "Now, let's eat our breakfast so we have some energy. Then, I believe we have some celebrating to do. I have big plans for you, Inspector Swan."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that's it! *wipes tear* Writing and posting this story has been such a positive experience, and I have all of you to thank for that. Thank you so much for reading, reviewing, favoriting, etc. – you're truly wonderful! I also couldn't have done this without the team behind me:<strong>

**Books, thank you so much for taking a chance on reading my first chapters, and encouraging me to finish. You've been such a fantastic mentor into the world of author-dom, and I appreciate all the help so much!**

**Heather, thank you for always being there to chat, encourage, whatever – I love your comments, and you've been such a great advocate for the story on Twitter and elsewhere! I'm so lucky to have met you and have your insight on my chapters.**

**Regina, you're amazing! You've taught me so much and been so patient with my mistakes along the way, I think you deserve some kind of medal. You've really challenged me to become a better writer, and I'm so incredibly thankful for you as my beta and as my friend. **

**.**

**.**

**Still with me? Some have asked what I'm writing next, and it's something very different from Speaking in Code. I'm working on a historical fic, set in Canada, with Edward as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I have this rather strange fascination with Mounties… um… yeah. *hides face* **

**Anyway, I'm really excited about it, and I've done a ton of research. I have a detailed outline and a few chapters written, but I won't start posting until it's completely drafted. Life is busy and unpredictable for me, and I hate to leave people hanging. Also, I'm expecting our third child this summer, so things will only get busier and I don't want to start posting anything I won't be able to finish. I'm hoping *fingers crossed* I'll be ready to post by March or April, but put me on Author Alert or follow me on Twitter (mamabean30) to get updates.**

**Again, I can't thank you all enough for the support! I've never tried any kind of extensive creative writing before, so this has been a very fun journey. I've learned so much, and met so many lovely people along the way, so I'm completely grateful for the experience. Take care!**

**xxx**

**Jen**


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